Ingredients Banned in Europe That Are Still in Most American Candy

This isn't a scare post. I don't like that style of food writing, and I don't think it actually helps anyone make better decisions. What I do think is useful is just laying out what's in most commercial candy, what the EU has decided to do about certain ingredients, and what I use at Süss instead. You can draw your own conclusions.

Synthetic Dyes: Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1

These are petroleum-derived dyes approved by the FDA for use in food. They're in almost every brightly colored mass-market candy you'll find in an American grocery store. In the EU, they're technically allowed but require a warning label on any product that contains them: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." That requirement came out of a 2007 study published in The Lancet that found a link between certain synthetic dyes and increased hyperactivity in children.

Most major European candy brands reformulated rather than carry the label. Some American companies sell different versions in Europe. The dye-free versions exist. They're just not the default here.

At Süss, I use plant-based colors exclusively. Beets, turmeric, spirulina, purple carrot, red radish. The colors come from actual plants. Full stop.

TBHQ

TBHQ is a synthetic preservative used to extend the shelf life of fats and oils. It shows up in things like crackers, chips, and certain candies with fat-containing coatings. The EU allows it at very low levels but restricts it much more tightly than the US does, and some EU member states have pushed for further restrictions based on ongoing safety reviews.

I don't use TBHQ. My candy doesn't need it. I make everything in small batches and the products are fresh. They stay good for up to one month or three months refrigerated. I'm not trying to make candy that lasts six months on a warehouse shelf.

Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide is a whitening agent used in some confectionery to make colors look brighter or give products a clean white appearance. In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority concluded it could no longer be considered safe as a food additive, citing concerns about potential genotoxicity. The EU banned it as a food additive in 2022. It's still permitted in the US.

I don't use it. I've never used it. There's no reason to add a whitening agent to handmade candy when you're not trying to mass-produce a uniform product.

Artificial Flavors

The EU requires more specific labeling for flavoring substances and restricts certain compounds still permitted in the US. I use natural and organic flavors in everything I make. That means the flavor source is a real food or plant-derived material.

My Watermelon Chews get their flavor from natural watermelon flavoring, not a synthetic approximation. Same with my Sour Blue Raspberry Chews. That's a real distinction, even if American labeling law doesn't always make it obvious.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

The EU doesn't ban high-fructose corn syrup, but it's far less prevalent in European candy than American candy due to production restrictions that kept it limited for years.

I don't use high-fructose corn syrup. My Celtic Sea Salt Caramels use organic sweetened condensed milk, organic unsalted butter, and organic cane sugar, cooked to 245F. My hard candies use cane sugar and regular corn syrup as an invert sugar to prevent crystallization. Not high-fructose.

The Short Version

None of the ingredients I use are on any EU restricted or banned list. That's not something I planned around. It's just what happens when you start from the position of "use the best possible ingredients" rather than "use the cheapest thing that clears regulatory review."

The Best of Both Worlds Bundle is a good example of what that looks like across different candy styles. Plant-based colors, natural flavors, no artificial anything. That's the standard I hold myself to.