Roommates, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on a popular add-on to candies and snacks. According to the Associated Press, the agency has moved to ban red dye No. 3 from the nation’s food supply. Other names for the red dye include erythrosine, FD&C Red No. 3, or Red 3.
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Details About The Ban On Red Dye No. 3
FDA made this move to honor a petition from 2022 that called out the dangers of the red hue. More than two dozen food safety and health advocates signed the petition.
However, concerns about the red dye are decades old. Specifically, it’s been 35 years since No. 3 was last allowed in cosmetics. Studies showed the development of cancer in lab rats exposed to the dye. Still, Jim Jones, the agency’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said FD&C Red No. 3 does not cause cancer in humans and rats in the same way.
Nonetheless, the FDA is complying with the Delaney Clause, which requires a ban on any substances that can cause cancer in living beings. This new ban means the red dye can’t be used in foods, dietary supplements, and oral medicines, such as cough syrups.
What Happens Next?
While the FDA recently announced the red dye ban, it’s giving food manufacturers extra time to course-correct. Manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dyes, while drug makers have until January 2028. California banned the substance starting January 2027. Even imported goods will be subject to the new U.S. requirement. Countries in Europe and Australia have already banned Red 3.
It’s unclear whether food makers will oppose the ban, especially without evidence of cancer effects in humans. However, some manufacturers have already begun swapping Red 3 for food-based pigments from beet juice, purple sweet potato, radish, and red cabbage. Carmine, a dye made from insects, has also been used.
