Farewell to Red No. 3: FDA Cuts Out Cancer-Risk Dye, Boosting Food Safety and Boldly Embracing Change!

In a turn of events that stirred the waters of the food industry, U.S. regulators have cast a bold stroke by banning Red Dye No. 3 from the nation’s food supply. This decision, nearly 35 years after the dye was ousted from the cosmetic aisle due to potential cancer risks, marks a significant move by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This ban finds its roots in a 2022 petition helmed by food safety crusaders demanding the cessation of the dye’s usage—a vibrant hue that brightens candies, snack cakes, and those tempting maraschino cherries alike.

The FDA, in its own words, took this action as a “matter of law,” reverting to the Delaney Clause—a legal posture that mandates the ban of any additive that shows a flicker of cancer risk in humans or other species. These studies, revealing cancer in lab rats, have been pivotal to the FDA’s final decision. The dye, known under the scientific mantel of erythrosine or more commonly as FD&C Red No. 3, has been stripped from the list of federally approved color additives for foods, dietary supplements, and oral drugs—such as those cherry-flavored cough syrups we reluctantly gulp down during flu season.

Back in the day—over three decades ago—the FDA hesitated to authorize Red 3 for cosmetics and topical drugs due to carcinogenic evidence discovered in lab studies. Yet, the food industry clung to it like a remnant of days past, undoubtedly comforted by then—claims that the manner in which Red 3 caused cancer in rats didn’t transpose to humans. Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, stated, “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.” Despite this, the dye’s future in American produce is now sealed—manufacturers have been given leeway until January 2027 to transition, while those fabricating drugs have until January 2028.

Critics and advocates have long echoed the call for this ban, considering the dye’s use in lipsticks was halted long ago while its presence lingered in foods consumed by adults and children alike—a double standard, as some would say, that was simply unsustainable. “This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA,” cheered Dr. Peter Lurie, championing the victory for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Some corners of the industry brace for legal tussles over the FDA’s decision, given the existing skepticism on its carcinogenicity in humans.

Across oceans, Red 3 has already faced the axe from food use in places like Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, barring a few exceptions. California, always one to set the trend, will follow suit come January 2027. Meanwhile, food manufacturers are sniffing out alternatives—beet juice, carmine (sourced from insects, if you can stomach that), and pigments from nature’s pantry including purple sweet potatoes, radishes, and red cabbages, now stand ready as substitutes.

As we move forward, the dye that once painted our treats in bright splashes could soon be a relic of the past—another testament to shifting tides in how we approach the safety and healthfulness of what we consume. The decision not only eradicates a potential health risk but symbolizes a broader commitment to transparency and safety in the food industry.