Titanium Dioxide in Coffee Creamers
Titanium Dioxide in Coffee Creamer: What You Should Know" - This is the title of an article recently published by Consumer Reports.
Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) serves as a whitening agent in many food products. One of the driving factors behind the prevalence of GMOs in the food industry is the pursuit of "perfection." Each year, millions of fruits and vegetables are discarded simply because they are considered ugly. But is this trade-off justified?
Titanium dioxide, which doesn't sound like a substance that should be part of your diet, is used to brighten various non-dairy or light coffee creamers, candies, sauces, baking decorations, and more.
Just great…
TiO2 has been linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage when tested in animals. The European Union banned TiO2 from food in 2022, but it is still widely used in the United States.
Consumer Reports tested 26 brands of coffee creamer for TiO2 and found that 19 of them contained the additive. The levels of TiO2 ranged from 1 to 22 parts per million (ppm). The article notes that there is no safe level of TiO2 exposure established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ok, that’s shady…what to do?
The good thing is, there are other products available, so you can toss that questionable coffee creamer. Let's give almond milk a chance. Nah? How about oat milk or coconut milk? If those aren't your thing, check for other creamers that don't contain titanium dioxide.