Which Food Additives Banned in Europe Are Still Allowed in the U.S.?

Which Food Additives Are Banned In Europe But Still Used in the U.S.?
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It might surprise you to learn that many food additives found in bread, baked goods, and candy manufactured in the United States are banned or restricted in Europe and other parts of the world because of potential health risks.
Titanium Dioxide
European regulators have banned titanium dioxide since 2022 based on studies that have shown it to be “genotoxic,” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and adjunct associate professor within the department of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.
“Titanium dioxide is something that can build up over time — it doesn’t get excreted very well,” says Dr. Sathyanarayana, a former member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals.
Potassium Bromate
This additive is used in white flour, bread, pizza crust, and rolls to make the dough rise higher. Most bromate rapidly breaks down to form bromide, which is harmless. However, bromate has been shown to cause cancer in animals, and trace amounts of the chemical may remain in bread, which could potentially pose a small health risk.
Researchers have also found that exposure to potassium bromate causes mutations in yeast DNA, and that footprints of those same changes are found in samples of human esophageal, stomach, and colorectal cancer.
Azodicarbonamide (ADA)
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
BHA and BHT work as preservatives to prevent foods that contain oils or fats from turning rancid.
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)
Some farmers give their cows bovine growth hormone to boost their herds’ milk production. “There are some brands of hormone-free dairy products available, but there are many that still contain them,” says Sathyanarayana.
“The major concern is that there are hormone-dependent cancers — there is concern that if you’re exposed to those hormones, are you increasing your cancer risk down the line?” she explains.
Not everyone agrees that bovine growth hormone poses a risk. “Some people will say that these hormones aren’t biologically active hormones that are getting transferred to the human body, but others would say that we don’t know because all of that data comes from animal studies, not human studies,” Sathyanarayana says.
Hormones affect almost every system in our body, so hormonal transfer could influence health, she explains. “Many of those hormones used are steroid hormones such as testosterone and androgen, which are found naturally in our bodies, but if you have higher concentrations of them, they could certainly be associated with health risks,” she says.
Food Dyes (Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Red No. 40)
Manufacturers generally use synthetic food dyes so that the color of a food or candy looks more appetizing or “matches” its flavor profile.
“We have some information that those dyes have been associated with hyperactivity and behavioral changes in kids. There’s not a huge amount of literature, but the small amount that we do have makes us concerned,” says Sathyanarayana.
The report authors also point out that the guidelines for the FDA’s Acceptable Daily Intake levels (ADIs) are based on 35- to 70-year old studies; if newer research were used to revise those levels, they would be much lower.
The FDA banned Red Dye No. 3 in January 2025.
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)
Consumer Preference Is Helping Reduce Food Additive Use
How to Minimize Potential Risks From Food Additives
The current regulatory system in the United States leaves much of the work of figuring out what’s safe or unsafe to the consumer, says Sathyanarayana. She offers these tips:
Opt for fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Try to focus on different kinds of fresh or frozen produce and move away from processed foods, Sathyanarayana says.
“You have to be practical about it. We live in an industrialized world, people are working a lot, and we don’t have time to make everything from scratch. You can make a lot of good food from frozen ingredients where you don’t have to do all the washing and chopping that some fresh vegetables require,” she says.
Read product labels. “We’re putting a huge burden on consumers by asking them to read product labels — it’s really time consuming and hard. But if you are a label reader, selecting foods with fewer ingredients is typically the best way to go,” says Sathyanarayana.
Snack bars are a good example of a product that can have many or very few ingredients. “I would recommend seeking out the bars that have just a handful of recognizable ingredients — nuts, nut butters, or fruits,” Sathyanarayana says.
Seek out resources to help you. Consumer advocacy groups such as CSPI and EWG provide lists of additives you should reduce or avoid.
There are also phone apps available to help you make sure the foods you’re buying are safe — just search “food ingredients scanner” in the App Store. Two such apps are Sift Food Labels and Ingredio, which use pictures of food ingredients on the label or a bar code and alert you of any potentially risky additives.
Don’t fall into the ”all or nothing” trap. “Overall, when I talk with families and patients, we discuss what they can do to limit their exposure to processed foods and maximize nutrition and healthy eating,” says Sathyanarayana. You don’t have to be perfect, but you can try to eat fewer things that are highly processed and full of additives like ultra-spicy bright orange corn snacks, she adds.
The Takeaway
- Many food additives banned in Europe, such as titanium dioxide and potassium bromate, are still allowed in the United States despite concerns over their potential health risks.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for new food chemicals leaves 99 percent of additives untested before entering the food supply, putting consumer safety at risk.
- California and other states are beginning to regulate food additives, and food manufacturers are offering more products that don’t contain potentially harmful chemicals.
Resources We Trust
- Cleveland Clinic: Is Red Dye 40 Safe?
- American Cancer Society: Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Food Additives: What Parents Should Know
- The University of Alabama at Birmingham: A Closer Look at Food Dyes
- American Medical Association: What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About Ultraprocessed Foods

Jane Yoon Scott, MD
Medical Reviewer
Jane Yoon Scott, MD, is an infectious disease physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Scott enjoys connecting with her patients, empowering them to understand and take ownership of their health, and encouraging them to ask questions so that they can make informed and thoughtful decisions.
She graduated with the highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, then received her MD from the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her internal medicine residency training and chief residency at Temple University Hospital, as well as a fellowship in infectious diseases at Emory University. She is board-certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases.
When she is not seeing patients, Dr. Scott works with neighboring health departments to promote public health, especially to communities that have been historically underserved. She also teaches medical trainees and lectures medical students at the Emory University School of Medicine.
In her free time, Dr. Scott appreciates a good coffee shop, weekend hikes, playing guitar, strolling through cities, sampling restaurants, and traveling to new places.

Becky Upham
Author
Becky Upham has worked throughout the health and wellness world for over 25 years. She's been a race director, a team recruiter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a salesperson for a major pharmaceutical company, a blogger for Moogfest, a communications manager for Mission Health, a fitness instructor, and a health coach.
Upham majored in English at the University of North Carolina and has a master's in English writing from Hollins University.
Upham enjoys teaching cycling classes, running, reading fiction, and making playlists.
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