As of October 11, 2026.
Five ingredients that US federal rules currently allow are not authorized for food use in the EU: titanium dioxide (kept on the Union list only for medicinal products), potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide, propylparaben and Citrus Red No. 2. A sixth, Red No. 40, is allowed in both places, but the EU requires a statement on the label. The tables below give each ingredient's status under US federal rules and EU rules, the date checked, and a link to the primary source for every statement.
How to read this page
In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 allows only food additives on the Union list (Annex II) to be placed on the market. In the US, each ingredient has its own entry in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations: a color additive listing, a food additive regulation or a GRAS affirmation. "Not authorized in the EU" therefore describes a legal status, and the table reports what each body said about it. Different does not mean better. The last table shows cases where the US rule is the stricter one or where the gap has closed.
Allowed in the US, not authorized for food in the EU
| Ingredient | US federal status | EU status | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium dioxide (E 171, white color) | Listed color additive exempt from certification. Allowed in foods generally up to 1 percent by weight of the food (21 CFR 73.575). FDA lists a petition to repeal the listing, filed April 14, 2023, as under review (petition 3C0325). | Not authorized in the food categories of Annex II Parts D and E. E 171 stays in Part B1 only because of its use in medicinal products (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). Regulation (EU) 2022/63 amended the annexes; foods made under the earlier rules could be placed on the market until August 7, 2022 and then until their date of minimum durability or use-by date (Regulation 2022/63). EFSA's 2021 opinion concluded that "E 171 can no longer be considered as safe when used as a food additive" (EFSA Journal, 2021). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Potassium bromate (E 924) | Allowed as a dough ingredient in standardized bread, rolls and buns, grouped with other bromates, iodates and calcium peroxide, with a combined limit of 0.0075 part per 100 parts of flour (21 CFR 136.110). Also allowed in malting barley, up to 75 parts per million bromate in the malt, for fermented malt beverages or distilled spirits (21 CFR 172.730). California AB 418 bars selling food that contains it from January 1, 2027 (AB 418). | E 924 does not appear in Annex II Part B or Part E of the Union list (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Azodicarbonamide (ADA, E 927a) | Allowed as an aging and bleaching ingredient in cereal flour and as a dough conditioner in bread baking, up to 45 parts per million of flour (21 CFR 172.806). On May 13, 2026 FDA requested information for a post-market assessment of ADA in food (91 FR 27060). | E 927a does not appear in Annex II Part B or Part E of the Union list (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Propylparaben (E 216, E 217) | Affirmed GRAS as an antimicrobial agent, used at levels not to exceed good manufacturing practice, with a current maximum of 0.1 percent in food (21 CFR 184.1670). California AB 418 bars selling food that contains it from January 1, 2027 (AB 418). | E 216 and E 217 do not appear in Annex II Part B of the Union list. Directive 2006/52/EC deleted both from the earlier EU additives directive in 2006 (Directive 2006/52/EC). The Union list still includes ethyl and methyl p-hydroxybenzoates (E 214, E 218) with conditions (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Citrus Red No. 2 (E 121) | Allowed only for coloring the skins of oranges not intended for processing, with not more than 2.0 parts per million on the whole fruit (21 CFR 74.302). On July 23, 2026 FDA proposed to revoke the listing, saying its use appears to be abandoned and that it has not been certified for food use since 2020 (91 FR 46330). The proposal was not final when the eCFR was checked. | E 121 does not appear in the Union list (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
Allowed in both, with an EU label requirement
| Ingredient | US federal status | EU status | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| FD&C Red No. 40 (Allura Red AC, E 129) | Allowed for coloring foods, including dietary supplements, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice, except in standardized foods unless the standard authorizes added color (21 CFR 74.340). | Listed in Annex II Part B. Annex V requires foods containing it, or five other colors (E 110, E 104, E 122, E 102, E 124), to carry the name or E number of the color followed by "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Annex V excepts beverages above 1.2 percent alcohol by volume and certain marking on meat products and eggshells (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Oct 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
Where the US rule is stricter, or the gap has closed
| Ingredient | US federal status | EU status | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine, E 127) | FDA revoked the authorization for use in food and ingested drugs. The order states that the petitioners provided data demonstrating that the additive induces cancer in male rats (90 FR 4628, January 16, 2025). An administrative stay was lifted on August 5, 2026, and the repeal takes effect January 15, 2027, except that the date for ingested drugs is January 18, 2028 (91 FR 50475). California AB 418 also covers it from January 1, 2027. | Still authorized, but only for cocktail cherries and candied cherries (maximum level 200) and bigarreaux cherries in syrup and in cocktails (maximum level 150, in mg/kg or mg/l as appropriate), as stated in Annex II (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Aug 5, 2026 notice. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Brominated vegetable oil (BVO, E 443) | FDA revoked the authorization effective August 2, 2024, saying there is "no longer a reasonable certainty of no harm from the continued use of BVO in food" (89 FR 55040). | E 443 does not appear in the Union list (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Jul 3, 2024 rule. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
| Orange B | FDA revoked the listing for casings or surfaces of frankfurters and sausages, effective September 8, 2026, saying the authorized use had been abandoned (91 FR 46276). FDA's 2025 proposal said it appeared Orange B had not been certified for food use since 1978 (90 FR 44786). | Orange B does not appear in Part B of the Union list (Regulation 1333/2008, consolidated August 18, 2026). | US: Sep 8, 2026. EU: Aug 18, 2026. |
What changes next
Five dates and open actions can change this page. The Red No. 3 repeal takes effect January 15, 2027 for food, and January 18, 2028 for ingested drugs. California AB 418 applies from January 1, 2027 to potassium bromate, propylparaben, Red No. 3 and brominated vegetable oil. FDA lists the titanium dioxide petition as under review, has an open post-market assessment of azodicarbonamide, and has a pending proposal on Citrus Red No. 2.
Questions
Does "not authorized in the EU" mean the ingredient is banned there?
In EU law an additive may be used only if it is on the Union list, so absence from the list, or a listing that excludes food categories as for titanium dioxide, is the legal bar. Several ingredients here are on the list with conditions. Red No. 40 is allowed with a label statement, and Red No. 3 is allowed only in certain cherry products. The EU has not banned Red No. 40.
Does a different status mean one regulator is right?
No. The statuses record what each body decided and when. EFSA gave its 2021 opinion on titanium dioxide while the FDA listing stays in place with a petition under review, and on Red No. 3 the US acted while the EU kept a narrow authorization. Neither direction is a verdict on a specific product.
Does this page cover every ingredient that differs between the EU and the US?
No. It covers a set of ingredients whose status was checked against primary sources on the dates shown. Other ingredients differ, and each needs its own check.
How often does the status change?
Often. This page carries an as-of date, and the open actions listed under "What changes next" can alter it.
Where PurityIQ fits
PurityIQ shows the public record on an ingredient, each item linked to its source. You see the record. You decide.
Sources
- US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, eCFR current as of October 8, 2026: 73.575, 74.302, 74.340, 136.110, 172.730, 172.806, 184.1670
- FDA, Petition 3C0325, titanium dioxide, under review
- Federal Register: 89 FR 55040, 90 FR 4628, 90 FR 44786, 91 FR 27060, 91 FR 46276, 91 FR 46330, 91 FR 50475
- California Legislature, California AB 418 (2023)
- EU, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, consolidated version of August 18, 2026
- EU, Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63
- EU, Directive 2006/52/EC
- EFSA, EFSA Journal 2021, titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive
Related PurityIQ reading: titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide, propylparaben, Red No. 3, brominated vegetable oil, Red No. 40 in Europe.