Same snack, different rules: US and EU food additives

American kids deserve better.

If you shop for kids: the EU took titanium dioxide out of food in 2022, while US rules still allow it at up to 1% of a food’s weight [1][2].

What we choose instead

Organic quinoa

Viva Naturals · USDA Organic · 6,869 Amazon ratings

Nothing to compare: the ingredient list is organic quinoa.

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Raw organic almond butter

Artisana Organics · USDA Organic · 3,053 Amazon ratings

Nothing to compare: the ingredient list is almonds.

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Organic dried mango

Mavuno Harvest · USDA Organic · 9,621 Amazon ratings

Nothing to compare: the ingredient list is mango.

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As an Amazon Associate, Bloom earns from qualifying purchases.

The evidence

  1. EU: food placed on the market after 7 August 2022 may not contain titanium dioxide (E171). [1]Established
  2. US: titanium dioxide may color food at up to 1% of the food’s weight. [2]Established
  3. US: bromated flour may contain potassium bromate up to 50 parts per million. [3]Established
  4. UK: potassium bromate was removed as a flour improver in 1990. [4]Established
  5. California bans potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben and Red No. 3 in food from 1 January 2027. [5]Established
  6. FDA revoked Red No. 3 for food on 15 January 2025. Food makers have until 15 January 2027. [6]Established

Scenario A or B

A. A frosted snack whose list includes “titanium dioxide (color)”. Allowed in the US; not allowed in EU food made after August 2022.
B. A food whose ingredient list is one item, like quinoa. There is no additive to compare.

What is going on

Countries review the same additives and sometimes write different rules. Titanium dioxide is a white color used in some candies, frostings and baked goods. The EU removed it from its list of permitted food additives in 2022 [1]. US rules still list it as a color for food, within a limit [2].

Potassium bromate is a flour treatment. US rules allow it in bromated flour [3]. The UK took it out of flour in 1990 [4], and California’s ban starts in 2027 [5].

US rules are changing for Red No. 3: FDA revoked it for food in January 2025, with a January 2027 deadline [6]. Until the deadlines pass, the ingredient list is how you see what is in a pack.

What this page does not say

Bloom does not say any additive causes a disease, or that these foods are better for your child. This page compares written rules. The picks are foods with one-item ingredient lists.

More answers

How Bloom checks a product

Bloom lists a product only when it has at least 1,000 Amazon ratings, its full ingredient or material list is published, it has no synthetic red flags, food and drinks are organic by nature, and fabrics carry a named organic certification; personal care, baby care, supplements and household products are held to a clean-formula standard instead of an organic one. Nobody pays to be listed.

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Sources

  1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 (titanium dioxide, E 171) eur-lex.europa.eu
  2. 21 CFR 73.575 Titanium dioxide law.cornell.edu (US Code of Federal Regulations)
  3. 21 CFR 137.155 Bromated flour law.cornell.edu (US Code of Federal Regulations)
  4. The Potassium Bromate (Prohibition as a Flour Improver) Regulations 1990 legislation.gov.uk
  5. California AB 418 (2023), California Food Safety Act legiscan.com
  6. FDA to revoke authorization for the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs fda.gov

As an Amazon Associate, Bloom earns from qualifying purchases. Bloom explains labels, ingredients and certifications. Nothing here is medical advice.