New Law and Policy

The French state secretary, Ms Brune Poirson, has announced1 that the French government intends to ban nanoscale titanium dioxide in food by the end of 2018. The announcement is of particular interest since titanium dioxide is broadly used as an additive in cosmetics, paints and further consumer-related products. Known as E171, nano titanium dioxide is present in many foods, primarily as a whitener or to increase opacity. However, in many cases E171 does not fall under the EU definition of ‘nanomaterial’ since it does not contain more than 50% nanoparticles as regards its size distribution. Recently published studies had updated the safety concerns about nano titanium dioxide.