Banned, Withdrawn & Restricted Food Additives
Verified regulatory actions with dates and primary sources. “Not authorised”, “withdrawn”, “suspended” and “banned” are different statuses; this page names the action instead of treating them as interchangeable.
Source review: 8 August 2026. The official record controls if a rule or compliance date changes. This is a deliberately narrow verified list, not a claim that every additive absent from a market is legally banned.
| Additive | Regulatory action | Jurisdiction / date | What changed | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium Dioxide E171 | Food-additive authorisation removed | European Union Effective/reference date: 2022-08-07 | EU authorisation for titanium dioxide as a food additive was removed in 2022 after EFSA concluded that concern for genotoxicity could not be ruled out. | Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 ↗ |
| Red 2G E128 | Use suspended | European Union Effective/reference date: 2007-07-27 | The EU suspended the use of Red 2G (E128) in 2007 following EFSA's conclusion that it is metabolised to aniline, for which a genotoxic mechanism could not be excluded. | Commission Regulation (EC) No 884/2007 ↗ |
| Erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3 E127 | Authorisation revoked with future compliance dates | United States (food authorisation revoked; phase-out applies) Effective/reference date: 2027-01-15 | FDA revoked the U.S. authorisations for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs in January 2025. Manufacturers have until 15 January 2027 for food and 18 January 2028 for ingested drugs to reformulate. | FDA: FD&C Red No. 3 ↗ |
Not authorised
The substance is not on that market’s positive list. This does not necessarily mean an authority reviewed and banned it.
Withdrawn or revoked
A previous authorisation has been removed. Transitional or reformulation deadlines may still apply.
Restricted
Use remains legal only for specified foods, maximum levels, labels, or other conditions.
Educational reference only. Verify the current law and permitted conditions with the linked regulator before making compliance, purchasing, or health decisions.