What are the regulations for the use of the food additive titanium dioxide in food in various countries and organizations?

In the food industry, titanium dioxide is used as a food coloring agent for various types of food products. It is very inert and stable in nature, while titanium dioxide used as a food additive is highly pure and does not pose a hazard to human beings when added in accordance with the regulations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the World Health Organization (JECFA) do not have numerical limits on its Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), but recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had submitted a colorant petition from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and others recommending that the FDA repeal the regulation of titanium dioxide as a colorant for food products. The reason for this recommendation is that the intended use of this colorant no longer meets the definition of “safe” in the U.S. federal regulation 21 CFR 70.3(i).
After the release of the news, caused a wide range of discussions in the industry, food partner network sorted out the current countries and organizations in the use of titanium dioxide in food regulations, for industry reference.
China
China GB 2760-2014 “National Standard for Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives” and its supplemental announcement stipulate that titanium dioxide is used in processed fruits, processed vegetables, cocoa products, chocolate and chocolate products (including cocoa butter chocolate and products), as well as confectionery, syrups, flavorings and beverages.
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) issued CXS 192-1995 “Codex General Standard for Food Additives” in which titanium dioxide is a food additive in the GMP list, and titanium dioxide can be used in accordance with GMP in all foods except those listed in the Appendix of Table 3.
European Union
On January 7, 2022, the European Commission issued a revised regulation (EU) 2022/63 banning the use of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive throughout the European Union. The EU Food Safety Authority stated that concerns about genotoxicity could not be ruled out on the basis of all the available evidence, and in view of the many uncertainties, the Authority concluded that titanium dioxide (E 171) is no longer considered safe when used as a food additive.
United States of America
The current U.S. regulation on the use of colorants, 21 CFR PART 73, List of Color Additives Exempt from Certification, includes titanium dioxide as a color exempt from certification. The amount in each type of food is not to exceed 1% of the weight of the food.
On May 3, 2023, a colorant petition filed by the Environmental Defense Fund and others recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration repeal the regulation on the use of titanium dioxide as a colorant in food. It also launched a 2-month comment period on whether to ban titanium dioxide.
Australia and New Zealand
In the ANZ Codex Alimentarius Schedule 15, Substances Which May Be Used as Food Additives, titanium dioxide may be used in coloring preparations, dairy products, edible oils and oil emulsions, ice creams and edible ices, processed fruits and vegetables, confectionery, grains and their products, bakery products, meat products, aquatic products, sweeteners, flavourings, beverages, meal-replacement formulas and complementary formulas, sports-assisted formulas, foods for special medical Foods for Special Medical Purposes, and other products, in which all are used in accordance with GMP.
Canada
In the Canadian Food Additives List, Table 3, List of Permitted Colorants, titanium dioxide can be used in jams, breads, butter, fruit juice concentrates, fish roe (caviar); ice cream mixes, frostings, liqueurs, dairy products, jellies, and aquatic products, etc., and it is used in these products according to GMP.
Summarize
At present, the European Union completely banned the use of titanium dioxide as a food coloring agent, the United States recently proposed to abolish the use of titanium dioxide in food, CAC, China, Australia and New Zealand, Canada has not yet made a ban on titanium dioxide, but with the in-depth research on the safety of titanium dioxide, as well as the emergence of new products with high safety to play an equivalent role, countries may gradually ban and eliminate titanium dioxide as a food Food partner network will pay attention to the dynamics of domestic and international regulations on the use of titanium dioxide in real time and share them in a timely manner.