How can I tell if a product has titanium dioxide in it? How can I avoid the ingredient?

6. What happens next?

What is titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide (E171) is an additive that is used in food as a colour. The function of food colours is to make food more visually appealing, to give colour to food that would otherwise be colourless, or to restore the original appearance of food. Titanium dioxide is used to provide whiteness and opacity to foods.

Lithopone was developed in the 1870s as a substitute for lead carbonate (lead white), to overcome its drawbacks of toxicity and poor weathering resistance. Within a few years, titanium dioxide displaced lithopone to become the white pigment (PW6) par excellence in the industry and the world’s best-selling inorganic pigment. However, titanium is a product whose price is subject to large price variations due to product availability. These price increases affect the competitiveness of finished products, and so the search for an alternative to titanium dioxide has generated a variety of possibilities to optimise its use. 

But what is titanium dioxide, exactly? Here's what you need to know about this popular food additive — including what products it's used in and whether it's safe to consume.

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5. Geographical Availability Depending on the location of businesses, suppliers with a good logistical network can ensure timely delivery and availability of stock. Local suppliers may also provide cost advantages compared to international counterparts due to reduced shipping fees.

Titanium dioxide can also be found in dairy products to make them whiter and brighter … like frosting or cottage cheese, Stoiber told USA TODAY, adding that the additive is used in other products – such as food or beverage instant mixes – as an anti-caking agent.

The surge in demand for interior and exterior paints and use of plastic across various end-use industries drive the global Lithopone market. Lithopone white pigment is used in paints and coating systems that find applications in residential and industrial landscapes. Hence, as the construction & building sector flourishes, the demand for building and architectural materials such as paints and coatings will increase. This trend is conducive for the Lithopone market growth. In addition, white plastic materials are increasingly being used in consumer products. Developments in plastic forming technology is anticipated to indirectly boost plastic production, thus, increasing the demand for white pigments during the forecast period.

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How we’re exposed to an ingredient matters greatly in terms of our long-term health. 
  
Research shows that inhaling titanium dioxide particles in significant quantities over time can cause adverse health outcomes. Unless you work in an industrial setting, inhaling substantial amounts of titanium dioxide is highly unlikely. 

Matthew Wright, chair of the authority's working group on titanium dioxide, noted that the evidence for general toxic effects was not conclusive, but that the panel couldn't rule out genotoxicity entirely. There were also some current data limitations and the assessment could not establish a safe level for daily intake of the food additive, he stated.