The Food and Drug Administration has banned the dye called red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. The dye gives some candies, snack cakes and maraschino cherries a bright red hue. Some studies have found that the dye caused cancer in lab rats. The ban removes it from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines, such as cough syrups. Food manufacturers will have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have until January 2028 to do the same, and imported foods must meet the new U. S. requirement.
It’s not clear whether the ban will face legal challenges from food manufacturers because evidence hasn’t determined that the dye causes cancer when consumed by humans. The International Association of Color Manufacturers defends the dye, saying that it is safe in levels typically consumed by humans. Some food manufacturers have already reformulated products to remove red 3. They use beet juice; carmine, a dye made from insects; and pigments from foods such as purple sweet potato, radish and red cabbage.
