E-numbers / Other additives / E553b
also: Hydrated magnesium silicate · Talcum
A mineral powder used to stop food clumping and coat tablets or chewing gum. IARC reclassified all talc as probably carcinogenic in 2025.
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IARC reclassified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) in 2025, including forms not containing asbestos.
Why it’s worth knowing. IARC reclassified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) in 2025, including forms not containing asbestos. Regulatory review of its continued food use is ongoing.
Talc (hydrated magnesium silicate) is a naturally occurring soft mineral ground into a fine white powder. Food-grade talc is specified to be free from asbestos fibres, though it can naturally occur alongside asbestiform minerals in ore deposits.
Acts as an anti-caking agent to prevent powders and granules from clumping together, and as a surface-coating agent on sweets, chewing gum and rice to give a smooth finish and prevent sticking during production and storage.
Found in some chewing gums, hard-coated sweets, polished rice, processed cheese, salt and some tablet-format food supplements. On a label it appears as 'talc' or 'E553b'.
In 2025, IARC re-evaluated talc across all forms, including grades specified as asbestos-free. The Working Group concluded that talc is probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), upgrading its previous classification. The conclusion was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in experimental animals, and strong mechanistic evidence from human cell studies. This evaluation superseded the older split classification that treated asbestos-free talc as Group 3 (not classifiable).
IARC Working Group classified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) in 2025, including talc not containing asbestos or asbestiform fibres, based on limited human evidence, sufficient animal evidence, and strong mechanistic data.
The 2025 evaluation superseded the previous Group 3 classification for asbestos-free talc and the separate Group 1 classification for talc containing asbestos (which remains within the 'asbestos' Group 1 category).
EFSA placed a follow-up review of talc as a food additive on its agenda following the IARC 2025 reclassification. The existing EFSA re-evaluation (published 2018) had concluded the previous dataset was insufficient to set a numerical ADI. No numerical ADI is currently established for E553b in its food additive role. The outcome of the EFSA follow-up, and whether the UK FSA will act on it, was pending at the time of writing.
EFSA's 2018 re-evaluation of talc as a food additive found the available data insufficient to establish a numerical acceptable daily intake.
EFSA listed a follow-up review of talc as a food additive on its October 2025 agenda, directly referencing the new IARC Group 2A classification.
Talc ore deposits can occur in close proximity to asbestiform minerals, raising the possibility of cross-contamination during mining even when food-grade specifications require asbestos to be absent. Asbestos-containing talc is classified IARC Group 1 (causes cancer in humans). Food-grade specifications require talc to meet purity limits, but independent testing of talc-containing consumer products in other sectors has occasionally detected asbestos fibres, raising questions about real-world purity assurance.
Talc containing asbestos is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen (causes cancer in humans) within the asbestos classification and was not separately re-evaluated in the 2025 monograph.
There is no current regulatory instruction for any specific group to avoid E553b in food. Given the 2025 IARC Group 2A classification and the absence of a numerical ADI, individuals who choose to apply a precautionary approach may wish to check ingredient labels for 'talc' or 'E553b', particularly in chewing gum, coated sweets and rice products.
The science on talc shifted materially in 2025. IARC's upgrade from Group 3 to Group 2A means the world's leading cancer hazard agency now considers talc probably carcinogenic, covering even the asbestos-free grades used in food. The key unknowns are: whether ingested food-grade talc reaches tissues in forms or quantities relevant to the animal findings; whether food-use exposure levels are comparable to the inhalation or perineal exposure studied most extensively; and how EFSA's ongoing food-specific follow-up will conclude. No numerical ADI exists, which means there is no established upper limit on daily intake from food. The question of purity, and whether asbestiform contamination at trace levels is reliably excluded in all food-grade supplies, adds a further layer of uncertainty. Regulatory status is approved but under active review. The science is live and unresolved.
No, E553b remains an authorised food additive in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. However, its regulatory status is under review following the 2025 IARC reclassification of talc as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A). No suspension or ban had been announced at the time of writing.
Most of the human evidence reviewed by IARC came from inhalation (occupational) and perineal (cosmetic powder) exposure, not food ingestion. Whether food-use quantities and the oral route produce the same hazard is a key open question that EFSA's ongoing review is expected to address. The 2025 IARC classification covers all forms and routes, but the evidence strength for ingestion specifically is less established than for inhalation.
Chewing gum, hard-coated sweets and confectionery, some polished rice, processed cheese, table salt, and food supplements in tablet form are the most common sources. It appears on the label as 'talc' or 'E553b'.
Talc is a mineral with no animal origin, so it is vegan. However, some products containing E553b, such as certain sweets or chewing gums, may contain other non-vegan ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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