The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the food dye known as Red 3 in U.S. foods, drinks, candy, and medications — more than three decades after studies showed the additive causes cancer in rats.
The FDA announced on Wednesday that manufacturers have until January 2027 to remove the coloring from their products. Drugmakers will have until January 2028 to comply.
“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy director for human foods, in a statement to NBC News. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”
“This is the right decision and matches recommendations from other countries to protect against toxicity and future health harms. Overall, it is one small step amidst a larger need to make our food supply safer for the most vulnerable, such as young children,” says Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and an investigator with the Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
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What Is Red Dye No. 3 and How Does It Impact Our Health?
FD&C Red No. 3, also called Red 3 and erythrosine, is a synthetic food coloring made from petroleum that is used to give foods and drinks a bright red cherry color.
For many years Red 3 was also used in cosmetics, but the FDA forbade its use in 1990 after research established the link to cancer.
Scientists believe Red 3 causes a hormonal reaction specific to male rats that results in cancer. But later animal studies didn’t find any cancer link, and there’s no evidence showing that Red No. 3 causes cancer in humans.
There is also evidence that consumption of synthetic food dyes, including Red No. 3, can result in hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in some children.
What Foods Contain Red Dye No. 3?
Some food companies have already phased out their use of Red 3, and California banned Red 3 and three other food dyes in October of 2023. But many products with the potentially harmful additive remain on grocery store shelves. These include:
Seasonal Candies Valentine treats like “conversation hearts,” cherry cordials, and other candies including PEZ, Fruit by the Foot, Hot Tamales, Dubble Bubble gum, candy corn, and ring pops may include Red 3.
Maraschino Cherries Some companies have made the switch to Red 40, but the cherry industry is the largest user of Red 3–dyed products in the United States and Europe.
Fruit Cocktails Some common brands of canned or packaged fruit medleys use cherries dyed with Red 3.
The dyes can also be found in:
Archer Farms cookies and trail mixes
Bacon bits from brands like Great Value and McCormick
Betty Crocker casserole potatoes and pasta salad mixes
Cake and cookie mixes, including Funfetti and red velvet varieties
Fruit juice and flavored lemonades from brands like Publix and Dole
Goya guava nectar
Hot dogs and sausages
Keebler sugar wafers
Meal replacement shakes, like Atkins Strawberry shake, Slim Fast Strawberries & Cream, Ensure Original Strawberry Nutrition Shake
Meat jerkies and sticks from brands like Jack Link’s
Nestle strawberry-flavored milk
Other candies: Nerds, Trolli gummy candies, jelly beans, licorice, taffy, Mike and Ikes
Prepared seafood dishes and spreads, especially ones containing salmon
Strawberry, cherry vanilla, and Neapolitan ice creams from brands like Kroger, Good Humor, and Mayfield Creamery
Vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes
Vigo yellow rice
Why the FDA Finally Banned Red Dye No. 3
The FDA decision acts on a November 2022 petition submitted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (a not-for-profit food and health watchdog) and 23 other organizations, based on the decades-old findings on cancer.
The authorization for use was revoked because of the Delaney Clause, which prohibits FDA authorization of a food additive or color additive if it has been “found to induce cancer in humans or animals.”
Red Dye No. 3 Ban Is a Good Thing for Consumers
The ban is a long overdue decision from the FDA, says Kate Donelan, RD, a registered dietitian with Stanford Health Care in California.
“It’s certainly positive to eliminate unnecessary risks, especially as there are safer, natural coloring agents like beet juice or paprika extract that can have the same impact as Red Dye 3 without the potential for harm,” she says.
Regulation makes it easier for people to avoid potentially risky additives, says Dr. Sathyanarayana.
“Often, consumers are left with the burden of deciding what food products to buy, without significant knowledge of health harms. This creates confusion and anxiety for those who are trying to make positive decisions for household meals, but are left with endless choices,” she says.
FDA Move Reflects Growing Public Concern About Food Additives
“People are waking up to the much more lenient food policies here in the United States compared with the European Union, where stricter regulations have been the norm for years,” says Donelan. “We need to expand this critical eye to other artificial additives with questionable safety profiles, such as Red Dye 40 or Yellow 5,” she says.
Sathyanarayana agrees. “This is one positive step, but there is so much more to do to make our food supply safer and healthier. The FDA needs to reevaluate the safety of many additives that have long been thought to be safe based on outdated data or limited data. It also needs to start regulating environmental contaminants from food processing and packaging that can be harmful to human health,” she says.
Emily Kay Votruba has copyedited and fact-checked for national magazines, websites, and books since 1997, including Self, GQ, Gourmet, Golf Magazine,Outside, Cornell University Press, Penguin Random House, and Harper's Magazine. Her projects have included cookbooks (Padma Lakshmi's Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet), self-help and advice titles (Mika Brzezinski's Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth), memoirs (Larry King's My Remarkable Journey), and science (Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Learn, by Cathy Davidson). She started freelancing for Everyday Health in 2016.
Becky Upham has worked throughout the health and wellness world for over 25 years. She's been a race director, a team recruiter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a salesperson for a major pharmaceutical company, a blogger for Moogfest, a communications manager for Mission Health, a fitness instructor, and a health coach.
Upham majored in English at the University of North Carolina and has a master's in English writing from Hollins University.
Upham enjoys teaching cycling classes, running, reading fiction, and making playlists.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Hiasa Y et al. The Promoting Effects of Food Dyes, Erythrosine (Red 3) and Rose Bengal B (Red 105), on Thyroid Tumors in Partially Thyroidectomized N‐Bis(2‐hydroxypropyl)‐ nitrosamine‐treated Rats. Japanese Journal of Cancer Research. March 1988.
FDA to Revoke Authorization for the Use of Red No. 3 in Food and Ingested Drugs. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. January 15, 2025.
FDA Bans Red No. 3, Artificial Coloring Used in Beverages, Candy and Other Foods. NBC News. January 15, 2025.
