From candy to drinks, here are the foods that contain them

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of red food coloring No. 3, a synthetic food dye commonly added to give foods a bright cherry red color, citing a potential cancer risk.

The current FDA decision banning the use of this controversial dye in foods, beverages, oral medications and dietary supplements comes almost 35 years after the same dye was banned in cosmetics due to a cancer risk found in animal studies.

“The FDA is revoking authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 under the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The Delaney Clause, enacted in 1960 as part of the FD&C Act’s Color Additives Amendment, prohibits FDA approval of a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals.” – FDA press release he stated.

Despite being banned from use in topical medicines and cosmetics since 1990 due to its carcinogenicity in rats, three decades later red dye No. 3 is still found in thousands of popular products, including candies, snacks and fruit-flavored products. according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a leading food safety group, which has asked the FDA to completely ban its use in 2022.

“All Americans deserve food free from harmful food additives. Removing Red 3 and other dangerous, unnecessary food chemicals from our food supply is a key step towards protecting consumers. We hope that the FDA and Congress will take action soon to reform the broken federal regulatory systems that have allowed dangerous chemicals to enter our food and remain there for so long.” he said CSPI Chief Scientist for Additives and Supplements Thomas Galligan.

The FDA has previously investigated a potential link between artificial colors, including Red No. 3, and hyperactivity in children. Although the commission convened in 2011 did not establish a direct cause and effect relationship, theirs report stated, “Artificial food colors are not the primary cause of ADHD, but in some cases they can be a significant contributor, and in some cases they may further push a child beyond the diagnostic threshold.”

Due to the current ban, manufacturers who add red color No. 3 to food and medicines still have until January 15, 2027 for food products and January 18, 2028 for medicines to change the composition of their products.

Red number 3 in your favorite foods: here’s what you can eat

Red No. 3, now under fire, has more products than you might think. Many seasonal delicaciessuch as Pez Candy, Sixlets, Candy Corn, Ring Pops and colored marshmallows, popular during Halloween and Valentine’s Day, contain this food additive. But that’s not all – red color number 3 can also be found in everyday objects, e.g brands maraschino cherries, frozen desserts, Yoo-hoo strawberry-flavored drinks, Good Humor strawberry bars, cough syrups, cough drops, vitamin gummies, and even some snack cakes, frostings, and cookies decorated with red icing.

The list doesn’t end there. According to CSPI, a search of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s branded food database revealed an astonishing 9,201 food products containing Red No. 3, many of them from the largest food companies in the country.