FDA Bans Artificial Red Dye: What Does This Mean for Consumers?
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the US food supply will no longer contain Red Number 3. And ice, as well as some broken drugs.
On Wednesday, the FDA said it was revoking approval for Red No. 3 — also known as erythrosine and the bright, cherry-red color that gives certain foods and beverages — its use in food and prescription drugs. The agency decided to do so after reviewing a petition under the Delaney Clause, a law in which the FDA argued that the dye added to food and drugs should be banned at the federal level because it has been shown to cause cancer in animals.
Going forward, any manufacturer that uses the dye in food and pharmaceuticals will have until January 15, 2027 or January 18, 2028 to update their products, respectively. This means that consumers can still see it as an ingredient on the market in food or drug products after the product’s manufacturing dates, according to the FDA.
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The artificial coloring is already banned in the European Union. For more than three decades, it has also been banned in cosmetics and topical medications because of evidence of animal carcinogenicity.
A customer shops for groceries in Chicago on February 13, 2024. (Scott Olsen/Getty Images/Getty Images)
According to Consumer Reports, the additive has been linked to cancer and thyroid tumors in laboratory animals and hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral effects in children.
Here are the affected products:
According to the Eat Well Guide Food Scores database, about 3,000 food products in the U.S. market contain red dye 3, including candy, some mashed potatoes, yellow rice and some medications. The menu includes a variety of foods including breakfast cereals, beverages and baked goods.
Some snacks and drinks may be banned in some regions due to cancer-causing ingredients
Some companies They have already removed the ingredient from their product. For example, Red Color 3 was listed as an ingredient for PediaSure Grow & Gain, Strawberry shake earlier this year. Today, the product page specifically says “no red color”.
A woman shops for groceries in Brooklyn, New York on September 15, 2023. (Photo by Paula Chapdelaine for The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Abbott, who owns the PediaSure brand, told FOX Business that it was “committed to removing Red 3 from all PediaSure products by 2024.”
Foods with dyes listed as ingredients:
PEZ Candy Assorted Fruits (cherry, strawberry, grape, raspberry, orange, lemon)
PEZ cotton candy, candy corn and bananas
Dubble Bubble Original Twisted Bubble Gum
Halloween Candy – AMOS Lollipop Finger Rings
Jelly Belly’s Gourmet Candy Corn
MorningStar Farms Veggie Breakfast Original Veggie Bacon Strips
Vigo saffron yellow rice
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Entenman’s Small Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins
Betty Crocker Mashed Potatoes
By Foot Starburst Fr
Cup of diced fruit
Fox Business reached out to Tootsie Roll Industries, owner of the Double Bubble brand, and The Ferrara Candy Company, owner of rhe Jelly Belly brand, for comment.
FOX Business reached out to Dole and Kelanova, owners of MorningStar Farms Veggie Breakfast Original Veggie Bacon Strips, for comment.
Calls to General Mills, Betty Crocker’s wife, went unanswered.
