If you've heard that some American snacks contain ingredients banned in Europe, it's not a myth. Several food additives still permitted by the U.S. FDA are banned, restricted, or require a warning label in the European Union.
For example, titanium dioxide (a whitening/brightening agent) has been banned as a food additive in the EU since 2022, yet it still appears in popular U.S. candies and snacks. Red Dye 3 was linked to health concerns for decades — and in January 2025 the FDA finally revoked its food authorization, giving products until 2027 to remove it.
How to check your own food
You don't have to guess. Type a product name into our free additive checker and it flags any tracked additive that's banned or restricted abroad, using open data from Open Food Facts.
You can also browse the full EU-banned list by product, or look up a specific additive like titanium dioxide or Red Dye 3.
Note: an additive being restricted in another country doesn't automatically mean a product is unsafe — regulators reach different conclusions. This is informational only.