Banned E-Numbers — Additives Prohibited Somewhere in the World
These additives are legal in some countries and banned in others — the clearest evidence that food safety regulation involves judgement, not just data. Here's what's banned where, and why regulators disagree.
Titanium dioxide (E171) is the most significant recent case: the EU banned it in food from 2022 over genotoxicity concerns about nanoparticles, while the UK and US reviewed the same evidence and kept it legal. Amaranth (E123) and cyclamate (E952) run the other way — banned in the US since the 1970s but still permitted in the EU. The lesson for label-readers: 'banned in country X' is a signal worth understanding, not automatically a verdict.
Banned or restricted additives
| E-Number | Name | Safety | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| E123 | Amaranth | Banned/Restricted | Full details |
| E171 | Titanium Dioxide | Banned/Restricted | Full details |
| E952 | Cyclamate | Banned/Restricted | Full details |
| E284 | Boric Acid | Avoid | Full details |
| E285 | Sodium Tetraborate | Avoid | Full details |
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Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This page is for general information and does not provide medical or dietary advice.