Search for Titanium Dioxide Alternatives Intensifies + Italy Proposes a Ban on Lab-Grown Meat – Xtalks Life Food Podcast Ep. 104

California’s recently proposed Assembly Bill 418 would make it the first state to ban the sale and manufacture of foods containing titanium dioxide, among other chemicals and dyes. In this episode of the Xtalks Food Podcast, Sydney talks about what titanium dioxide is, where it can be found and its purpose as a whitening agent in food and beverage products. While it’s unclear whether the bill has enough momentum to pass, it has intensified the search for titanium dioxide alternatives. The ingredient boasts heat-stable opacity and bright white color — properties that are particularly appealing when it comes to maximizing a product’s visual appeal. But for companies tasked with finding titanium dioxide alternatives, there is no single universal replacement. The team discusses the complexities of trying to find alternatives and wonders why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is so far behind the European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA), which has already banned the ingredient.

Also in this episode, Sydney talks about Italy’s plan to ban lab-grown meat. The Italian government recently approved a draft law that would prohibit the use of laboratory-produced food and animal feed as it aims to protect the country’s food heritage. Under the ban, those who produce, export or import lab-grown food would face fines of up to €60,000 ($65,017) and risk having their manufacturing plants closed. The production of lab-grown food has not yet taken off in Europe, and it is expected to be years before such products appear on supermarket shelves. The potential lab-grown meat ban is thus a pre-emptive move to safeguard Italy’s heritage and agriculture based on the Mediterranean diet. The team is critical of the Italian government for imposing a ban that would prohibit progress and wonders whether the lab-grown meat market would threaten Italy’s food heritage.

Read the full article here:

Search for Titanium Dioxide Alternatives Intensifies as Potential Ban is Proposed

Lab-Grown Meat Ban Looms in Italy in Bid to Protect Food Heritage

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