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FDA Bans Use Of Red Dye No. 3 In Foods—What To Know About The Chemical
Environmental groups, health advocates and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are on a mission to ban certain dyes from American foods.
www.forbes.com
The Food and Drug Administration has announced it will ban the use of artificial food coloring Red No. 3, which has been linked to thyroid cancer in animals, after years of prodding by parents and health advocates, one state ban and action by dozens of other countries.
The FDA announced Wednesday it will ban the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food products and ingested drugs, decades after it was banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs for its link to thyroid cancer in animals.
Manufacturers who use Red No. 3 in food or medications will have until Jan. 15, 2027 or Jan. 18, 2028, respectively, to reformulate their products, and the ban applies to all internationally made products imported into the U.S.
Red No. 3 or erythrosine, a color additive made from petroleum, could previously be used in foods in small amounts as approved by the FDA on a per-case basis.
The FDA has considered a petition to ban the additive since 2022 and, in that time, California became the first state to outlaw the sale of foods with Red No. 3, while lawmakers in 10 other states introduced legislation to do the same.
Even in its announcement of the ban, the FDA reiterated its position that the additive doesn't necessarily put humans at risk, explaining the way the dye causes cancer in rats "does not occur in humans” and noting exposure levels for the dye are typically much lower in people than in the studied rodents.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has also vowed to crack down on the use of food dyes if he’s confirmed, claiming the dyes cause cancer and A.D.H.D. in children.
Red No. 3 is significantly more regulated in other parts of the world, including in the European Union, where it is only authorized for use in cocktail and candied cherries, and in Korea, where the use of most synthetic colors is prohibited in certain foods eaten mostly by children and teenagers.
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