OAN Staff James Meyers
8:18 AM – Wednesday, January 15, 2025
The FDA issued an order Wednesday that will ban Red 3’s authorization from food products and ingested drugs.
The dye, which was approved to use in 1907, has been banned in cosmetics and topical drugs since 1990 over concerns that the dye is linked to causing cancer. The use of the dye in food is already banned in Australia, Japan and countries in the European Union.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominated Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a strong advocate for removing dyes from food products.
Red 3 is known for being found in candy, cookies and gum.
Meanwhile, food manufacturers will have a deadline of January 15, 2027 to remove it from all products, while makers of ingested drugs will have until January 18, 2028.
The ban is based on the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which was enacted in 1960. Additionally, the Delaney Clause prohibits the FDA from authorizing any food or color additive that has been found to cause cancer.
“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals,” said Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy director for human foods, according to NBC. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”
The latest move also stems from a petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest and 23 other organizations, which included data showing male lab rats that were exposed to high levels of Red No.3 developing cancer.
The FDA noted that studies on humans and other animals did not show the same effect, stating that “available data does not raise safety concerns for humans.”
The agency also said that Red No.3 is used in Canada and Europe but under a different name called erythrosine.
Concerns have been growing over the past several years as the dye has been banned in cosmetics and topical drugs for almost 35 years.
“The widespread use of red dye No. 3 is particularly concerning since it is found in many products marketed to children who are especially at risk of developing health problems from exposure,” Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports, said in a statement.
The federal ban also comes after over a year after The California Food Safety Act, in which Red No. 3 and three other food additives were banned in the state. That specific law will not be implemented until 2027.
Other states have also introduced legislation to discuss a possible ban including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Illinois and South Dakota.
Multiple food brands have already taken steps to remove it.
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