Calls to Ban Common Food Coloring Additive in US

Public health advocates have petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of titanium dioxide, a common color enhancer found in thousands of US foods, including M&Ms, Skittles, and Chips Ahoy! cookies. Recent scientific studies have linked the compound to serious health issues and found that it accumulates in the body and organs. The European Food Safety Authority has already banned its use in food. The FDA approved titanium dioxide for food use in 1966 and last reviewed it in 1973, but the petition mechanism is one of the few ways the FDA can be compelled to review updated science.