The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of synthetic food dye Red No. 3 after it has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals, health officials announced Wednesday.
The ban comes almost 35 years after Red No. 3 was banned. Prohibited Cosmetics have been linked to cancer, newsweek Reported.
FDA staff said The agency said, “Legally, we have revoked the license to use FD&C Red No. 3. base in Delaney Claus of Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act)”
The presentation cited two studies showing “cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high concentrations of FD&C Red No. 3 due to rat-specific hormonal mechanisms,” but other animals and Human trials “did not show these effects.”
Red No. 3, first approved for food use in 1907 — made from oilThe product was the subject of a decades-long ban effort by the FDA after it was first noticed to cause tumors to grow when exposed to high doses in lab rats, according to the FDA, NBC News reported.
The dye, already banned in Australia, Japan and European Union countries, is commonly used in American candies such as Pez, double bubble gum and Jelly Belly jelly beans, as well as baked goods such as muffins, toaster pastries and cookies. There is. According to red icing or decoration newsweek.
It is also easily found in some sodas, strawberry-flavored milk, and maraschino cherries.
Some medications and supplements also contain this dye, including cough syrup, gummy vitamins, and PediaSure Grow & Gain Kids' Ready-to-Drink Strawberry Shake.
More than 9,200 foods contain this synthetic dye, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a food safety advocacy group that petitioned the FDA to ban the product in 2022.
Food manufacturers are required to remove dyes from their products by January 15, 2027, and companies that make ingestible medicines such as supplements have a deadline of 2028.
“FDA cannot approve food additives or colorings if they are found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for food, said in a statement obtained by NBC. . “Evidence shows cancer present in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”
“The FDA has finally put an end to the regulatory paradox that makes Red 3 illegal to use in lipstick but completely legal to give to children in candy form,” said Dr. Peter G. Lurie, CSPI Chairman. ” he said. said in a statement. “The main purpose of food dyes is to make candy, drinks, and other processed foods more appealing. If the function is purely aesthetic, why accept the risk of cancer?”
