FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods

The FDA has banned the use of Red 3 (FD&C Red No. 3 or erythrosine) in foods, dietary supplements, and oral medicines due to its link to cancer in lab rats. The decision follows a 2022 petition by food safety advocates and comes nearly 35 years after the dye was barred from cosmetics. The FDA’s action is based on the Delaney Clause, which prohibits additives shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Food manufacturers must remove Red 3 from products by January 2027, while drugmakers have until January 2028. The dye has been widely used in candies, snack cakes, and maraschino cherries for its bright red hue. Though studies indicate the cancer-causing mechanism in rats does not occur in humans, advocates and lawmakers pushed for the ban, citing children’s higher consumption of the dye relative to body weight.

Consumer groups have praised the move, while some manufacturers are expected to challenge it. Many companies are already reformulating products with natural alternatives like beet juice, carmine from insects, and pigments from red cabbage or radishes. Red 3 is also banned in Europe, Australia, New Zealand.

Source: AP News