Ban on food products containing E171 from July 22

Ban on food products containing E171 from July 22

Ban on food products containing E171 from July 22

17 Jul 2023

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Muscat – Oman is going to ban the production, import and marketing of food products that contain titanium dioxide (E171) starting July 22, 2023.

The Food Safety and Quality Centre on Monday announced the commencement date of the ban and a fine of RO1,000 for violating it. The fine will be doubled in the event of a repeat offence.

In January, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources issued a ministerial decision (No 11/2023) amending some provisions of the Food Safety Regulations. It was decided to add a new item in the appendix of violations and administrative fines related to food safety.

The first article of the decision stipulates that an administrative fine of RO1,000 will be imposed for the production, import or marketing of food products to which titanium dioxide is added.

The second article states that this decision will take effect six months after the date of its publication.

E171 is used as a food colour to make food more visually appealing, to give colour to food that would otherwise be colourless or to restore the original appearance of food. E171 is also present in cosmetics, paints and medicines.The main