A man from California has sued Mars, the company that makes Skittles, claiming that the use of Titanium dioxide is “unfit for human consumption.”
Titanium dioxide TiO2 is an inorganic chemical compound used as a white-coloring agent in confectionery, pastries and pastries decoration, toothpaste, cosmetics, and paper. However, to date, titanium dioxide is considered safe for consumption and most research concludes that the amount consumed from food is so low that it poses no risk to human health.
Although the, past research concludes that the compound used is safe for human consumption. However, a research paper published by the official site of the state of new jersey claims titanium dioxide may be a carcinogen in humans. This recent report infers that titanium dioxide can cause cancer if inhaled. Hence people should reduce all contact with titanium dioxide to the lowest possible level.
Why Are Skittles Banned In Other Countries?
A Californian man named Jenile Thames — as well as some additional plaintiffs, are suing Mars, which is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products, including Skittles, for including an additive titanium dioxide in its candy permitted by US law but banned in Europe due to a possible link to cancer risk. He filed a lawsuit against skittles on July 14 in California’s Northern District Court.
The European regulators feared that an accumulation of titanium dioxide particles in a person’s body could cause genotoxicity. Genotoxicity is the ability of a substance to damage DNA which potentially could cause cancer.
Is Skittles Banned Completely In Europe?
In 2019 France announced a ban on the sale of food products that contained titanium dioxide starting January 1, 2020, based on an opinion published by the French food safety agency recommending reducing the exposure of the compound to workers, consumers, and the environment.
On May 6, 2021, The European food safety authority updated its safety assessment of the food additive titanium dioxide following a request by the European Commission in March 2020.
Expert panel on food additives and flavorings under the chairperson of European food and safety authority Prof Maged Younes conducted an assessment following a rigorous methodology and considering many thousands of studies that have become available since EFSA’s previous inspection in 2016, including new scientific evidence and data on nanoparticles.
The assessment concluded that titanium dioxide could no longer be considered safe as a food additive, explaining that we could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consuming titanium dioxide particles.
What Does The Recent Lawsuit Mean?
The recent lawsuit filed against Mars last week is still in its earliest stages. It could meet the same end as other food fraud cases are dismissed almost immediately, like when another Calorfania man tried to sue Krispy Kremer for not including real blueberries in its blueberry doughnuts.
However, as the Los Angeles Times reported, the US food and drug administration has approved the use of titanium dioxide since 1996 under the restriction that the chemical should not exceed 1 percent by weight in foods. But recently, on March 29, the use of titanium dioxide as a food colorant was upheld by the food and drug administration,
The lawsuit might influence Mars to change the formula of Skittles to exclude the use of titanium dioxide. The chemical compound has been banned in Europe since 2022 for potential cancer risk.