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Today the U.S. regulators announced a ban on Red Dye No. 3 from the U.S. food supply, which comes about 35 years after the dye was banned from cosmetics due to potential cancer risk. Studies found that the dye causes cancer in lab rats and thanks to the Delaney Clause, "which requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals," there was action taken to remove it from the list of "approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines."
“The FDA is taking action that will remove the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs,” said Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No.3. Importantly, the way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.”
FD&C Red No. 3 or Red 3 must be removed from food manufacturers products by January 2027 and drug manufacturers must remove the dye from their products by January 2028. To put this Red 3 into some perspective, the dye is banned for food use in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Now what exactly is Red Dye No. 3? It is a synthetic food dye that gives the foods and drinks that bright red color. These are some foods and oral medications that may contain Red 3 are:
- candy
- cakes and cupcakes
- frozen desserts
- frostings
- maraschino cherries
- fruit cocktails
- colored beverages
- protein shakes
- vegetarian meats
- bacon bits
- sausages
- strawberry milk
- puddings
- acetaminophen (pain reliever)
- fluoxetine (antidepressant)
- gabapentin (anticonvulsant)
- andomeprazole (treats heartburn)
If you're concerned about which foods have Red 3, check the ingredients for yourself - the dye will be labeled as FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Red 3 or Red 3. For more, click here.
