Divergent Risk Governance in the EU: A Critical Review of the EFSA and EMA Decisions on Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂)

Abstract

This paper examines how the European Union banned Titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a food additive due to institutional differences between the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). Both organizations work within an EU framework of public health, although the two organizations differ vastly in their risk-assessment paradigms. EFSA, with the precautionary principle, suspends authorization in the presence of scientific uncertainty that poses a threat to potential harm, whereas EMA does not, with its risk-benefit logic better suited to pharmacological products, which balances advantages and adverse effects. Beck, Risk Society, Risk Perception by Slovic, Precautionary Principle, and Brussels Effect are used to explain regulatory health outcomes, scientific uncertainty, and communication that goes to the general population.