ROME: The EU’s food watchdog on Thursday said that a widely-used additive, known as the artificial colouring E171 on food labels, should “no longer be considered safe” for consumption.

E171 contains nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, and is commonly used in consumer products. In food, it is used mainly as a whitening and brightening agent in sweets, chewing gum, white sauces and cake icing.

But its use in food was suspended in France last year over health fears.

The Italy-based European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said that following a review of the evidence, there was a risk that titanium dioxide nanoparticles could cause DNA damage, and no safe level for its daily intake could be established.