The food ban imposed by U.S. regulators on Wednesday comes more than 30 years after food was banned from cosmetics.
The United States has banned the use of synthetic food dyes that give some candies, cakes, and certain oral medications their cherry color. Because there was evidence that the dye caused cancer in laboratory rats.
The Food and Drug Administration’s ban on Red No. 3 dye used in food on Wednesday comes more than 30 years after it was banned in cosmetics.
“It doesn’t make sense to me why they say it shouldn’t be in cosmetics but can be eaten. I am very pleased that they have finally done what I thought they should have done years ago,” said petitioner Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.
Consumer advocates have been pushing for a ban on the dye for years, including a petition in 2022 to review research showing that high exposure to the additive can cause cancer in male rats.
“FDA cannot approve food additives or color additives that have been shown to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
But regulators said studies in other animals and humans had not shown these effects, and available evidence did not support claims that use of the dye in food and oral medications puts people at risk.
Manufacturers using Red No. 3 in food must reformulate their products by January 15, 2027, and manufacturers of ingestible medicines have until January 18, 2028, to comply with the ban.
Lawmakers criticized FDA Commissioner Robert Khalif during a recent U.S. Senate committee hearing on the use of food dyes.
“Food safety is a top priority for America’s confectioners and we will continue to follow and adhere to FDA guidance and safety standards,” the National Confectioners Association trade group said.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the country’s top health agency, has often spoken about reducing chemicals in food.
