additives
Banned Food Ingredients: What's Actually Banned and Where
Banned food ingredients vary by jurisdiction. The FDA revoked brominated vegetable oil in July 2024 and Red No. 3 in January 2025, with reformulation allowed until 2027. California's AB 418 bans four additives from 2027. The EU bans titanium dioxide, potassium bromate, and azodicarbonamide — the last two remain legal in US foods.
Quick facts
- What counts as banned
- An additive a regulator has formally revoked or prohibited from use in food
- Recent US actions
- BVO revoked July 2024; Red No. 3 revoked January 2025, reformulation deadline 2027
- California AB 418
- Bans BVO, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3 in food sold from 2027
- EU-only bans
- Titanium dioxide (E171, since 2022), potassium bromate, azodicarbonamide
- Why the US–EU gap
- EU requires pre-market approval; the US allows GRAS self-affirmation by companies
- Still on shelves?
- Yes — revoked additives can legally remain in products until compliance deadlines pass
Key takeaways
- The FDA revoked brominated vegetable oil in July 2024 and Red No. 3 in January 2025, but Red 3 can legally stay in products until 2027.
- California's AB 418 bans BVO, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red 3 in food sold in the state starting in 2027.
- The EU bans titanium dioxide (E171), potassium bromate, and azodicarbonamide, while the last two remain legal in US foods.
- The US–EU gap exists because the EU requires pre-market approval while US companies can self-affirm ingredients as GRAS without notifying the FDA.
- Labels never say an ingredient is banned elsewhere, so scanning a barcode against regulatory databases is the practical way to catch banned food ingredients before checkout.
In this article
What the FDA Banned in 2024 and 2025
Search for banned food ingredients and you'll find plenty of alarm and very little precision. This guide sticks to what regulators have actually done — starting with two recent moves by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
In July 2024, the FDA revoked its authorization for BVO, an emulsifier — an ingredient that keeps liquids from separating — once used to hold citrus flavoring evenly in sodas. Animal studies linked it to thyroid effects, and most major soda brands had already dropped it.
Red No. 3 (erythrosine)
In January 2025, the FDA revoked Red No. 3, a synthetic cherry-red dye, under the Delaney Clause — a law requiring the agency to ban additives shown to cause cancer in animals. The catch: food makers have until January 2027 to reformulate, so products containing Red 3 are legally on shelves today.
That runway is why a "banned" headline doesn't mean an ingredient is gone. Scanning a barcode with ScanVeer checks that specific product's ingredient list against current regulatory lists, so you know whether the version in your hand still contains a recently revoked additive.
California's AB 418: The State Ban With National Reach
California moved before the FDA did. Assembly Bill 418, signed in 2023, prohibits four additives in food sold in the state starting in 2027:
- Brominated vegetable oil — now also federally revoked
- Potassium bromate — a flour treatment that helps dough rise higher
- Propylparaben — a preservative used in some baked goods
- Red No. 3 — the dye the FDA revoked in 2025
Why does one state's law matter everywhere? Scale. California is a huge share of the US grocery market, and manufacturers rarely maintain two recipes for one product — so reformulation tends to go national.
The practical wrinkle: between now and 2027, the same product can exist in old and new versions with different ingredient lists. Reading labels helps — our guide to decoding food labels in seconds shows how — but version-by-version differences are exactly where a barcode scan earns its keep, because the scan reads the specific package in front of you rather than the brand in general.
Banned in Europe, Legal in America
The widest gap in banned food ingredients runs between the US and the European Union. Three clear examples:
| Additive | Common use | EU status | US status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium dioxide (E171) | Whitening agent in candy, frosting | Banned in food since 2022 | Allowed |
| Potassium bromate | Flour improver in baked goods | Banned | Allowed (California ban from 2027) |
| Azodicarbonamide | Dough conditioner in bread | Banned | Allowed |
The EU's food safety authority concluded in 2021 that E171 could no longer be considered safe because genotoxicity — potential damage to DNA — couldn't be ruled out; the EU ban followed in 2022.
Why the gap exists
The EU requires pre-market approval: prove an additive safe before it's used. The US permits GRAS ("generally recognized as safe") self-affirmation, where a company can determine its own ingredient is safe without notifying the FDA.
Why the label won't tell you
Azodicarbonamide may just read "dough conditioner," E-numbers appear only on EU labels, and no label says "banned in Europe." That context lives in regulatory databases — which is exactly what ScanVeer's scoring methodology draws on.
What a ScanVeer Scan Actually Tells You
When you scan a barcode with ScanVeer, the app reads that product's ingredient list and checks each entry against FDA revocations and the EU's banned-additive rules, then flags any banned-elsewhere or recently revoked additive before the product reaches your cart. California's AB 418 bans the same additive names, so an FDA/EU flag covers them — but AB 418 itself is context in this article, not a separate list ScanVeer checks. The flag feeds an independent 0–100 score with no brand payments behind it.
Honest framing: ScanVeer flags what is on the label and in its databases. If a manufacturer's published data is outdated, or an ingredient hides behind a name not yet mapped, no flag fires. It's a fast, evidence-based screen — not a guarantee, because no scanner can be one.
And a flag is not medical advice. It means a regulator somewhere took formal action on that additive; what you do with that information is your call. The full weighting logic is public at how we score, and the app also suggests better-rated swaps when one exists.
This is part 1 of a three-part series on banned ingredients. Next up: cosmetics, where the US–EU gap is even wider — our cosmetic ingredient scanner guide is the primer. Download ScanVeer free and scan before you buy.
Scan it before you buy it
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Download ScanVeer freeFrequently asked questions
Is Red Dye 3 banned in the United States?
Yes — the FDA revoked its authorization for food in January 2025. But manufacturers have until January 2027 to reformulate, so products containing Red No. 3 remain legally on shelves today. Checking the ingredient list, or scanning the barcode with an app that tracks revocations, is the only way to know about a specific product.
Why is titanium dioxide banned in Europe but not the US?
The EU's food safety authority concluded in 2021 that titanium dioxide (E171) could no longer be considered safe because potential DNA damage couldn't be ruled out, and the EU banned it in food in 2022. The FDA has not reached the same conclusion, so it remains a permitted color additive in the US.
What food ingredients does California ban under AB 418?
AB 418, signed in 2023, prohibits four additives in food sold in California starting in 2027: brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red No. 3. Because manufacturers rarely make separate state-only recipes, the law is expected to push reformulation nationwide.
How can I tell if a product contains a banned food ingredient?
The label alone often won't tell you — additives can appear under generic names like "dough conditioner," and no label mentions foreign bans. Scanning the barcode with ScanVeer checks the ingredient list against FDA and EU action lists and flags matches, though it depends on the label and database being current. California's AB 418 targets the same additive names, but it is a state law ScanVeer gives as context — not a separate list the app checks.
Is azodicarbonamide still allowed in US bread?
Yes. Azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner sometimes called ADA, is banned in the EU but remains legal in the US. Some large bakers have voluntarily removed it, so presence varies by brand and product — another case where checking the specific item matters more than the headline.
Does a banned-elsewhere flag mean a food is dangerous?
No. It means a regulator somewhere took formal action — a ban, a revocation, or a scheduled phase-out — often based on animal studies or unresolved safety questions. That's useful context for choosing between products, not a medical judgment, and ScanVeer presents it as one factor in its independent score.