April 11, 2023

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko on April 10 at a House Audit Committee meeting said that the government should introduce the precautionary principle in regulations regarding food additives like titanium dioxide which is banned in the European Union.

In Japan, titanium dioxide was approved in 1983 as a food additive and has been used as food coloring to whiten food products, such as white chocolate, chewing gum, and ice cream. The EU, however, in 2021 banned the use of this additive on the grounds that genotoxicity concerns could not be ruled out.

Kira pointed out that the EU applies the precautionary principle to the use of food additives and prohibits their use if it finds that they have a safety risk. In contrast, she pointed out, Japan takes a stance that allows the use of these substances unless their hazardous nature is scientifically determined. She said that like the EU, Japan should take a precautionary approach in approving additives. Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Kono Taro refused to accept the JCP lawmaker’s demand by saying that the precautionary principle has yet to be recognized globally.

Kira indicated that the latest research found that some additives including titanium dioxide bring about negative impacts on gastrointestinal bacteria, and again demanded the introduction of precautionary measures in regulations pertaining to food additives.