Mars Inc.’s Skittles candies are no longer being made with titanium dioxide, a chemical that whitens foods, brightens colors and makes candy appear shiny, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News.
The additive was banned in the European Union in 2022 over
concerns that nanoparticles of the substance might accumulate in the body and damage DNA. It has also come
under scrutiny by the Department of Health and Human Services in recent months under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In 2023, groups including the Environmental Working Group and the Center for Food Safety filed a
petition with the Food and Drug Administration to remove the approval of titanium dioxide as a color additive in food. That petition was still under review as of March 2024, according to
the FDA website.
Titanium dioxide hasn’t been banned in the US, though Mars pledged to stop using the additive in 2016. It was still an ingredient
in Sour Skittles as of earlier this year.
In a statement to Bloomberg News in January, the company said its use of the ingredient was “in compliance with government regulations.”
The company is now in the process of updating its website to reflect the reformulation, though shoppers may see products containing titanium dioxide on shelves until those products sell through.
The chewy candies still
use synthetic dyes including Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1, according to their labels. HHS and FDA said in April that they’ll
work with food producers to eliminate the dyes by the end of 2026. Industry groups have said
no agreement exists on the matter.
Other foods — including
Mondelez International Inc.’s
Sour Patch Kids Watermelon,
Kraft Heinz Co.’s
Lunchables Cookie Dunks and JM Smucker Co.’s
Donettes — currently use titanium dioxide. It’s also a common ingredient in
sunscreens and
white paints.
Mondelez, Kraft Heinz and JM Smucker didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. JM Smucker told Bloomberg in March that its products and labeling abide by FDA regulations.
The White House’s “Make America Healthy Again” report
listed titanium dioxide as an additive of “potential concern.” Earlier in May, the Food and Drug Administration announced it would
speed up an existing review of the ingredient.
HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment on Skittles’ removal of titanium dioxide.
—
With assistance from Bill Haubert and Rachel Cohrs Zhang
