FDA Finally Bans Red Food Dye That Has Been Prohibited Worldwide

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a ban on Red Dye No. 3, a controversial food coloring known to cause cancer in animals. Decades after scientific evidence first raised concerns, Red 3, as it is also known, continues to be used in nearly 3,000 food products in the United States, according to the Environmental Working Group.

FDA Revokes Approval for Red Dye No. 3 in Food and Drugs

The FDA revoked the approval for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, as published in the Federal Register.The decision followed a petition filed in November 2022 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups, citing the “Delaney Clause,” which mandates the prohibition of any color additive shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Em 1990, a FDA determinou que o Red 3, também conhecido como eritrosina, deveria ser banido de cosméticos devido à sua associação com câncer de tireoide em ratos machos. However, the food industry resisted the ban and continued to use the dye in foods, such as in maraschino cherries, which relied on Red 3 to maintain their signature red color.

The search in the government-run database, DailyMed, reveals that the dye also appears in thousands of candies, snacks, fruit products, and medicines. The FDA has given manufacturers until January 15, 2027, to reformulate their food products, and until January 18, 2028, for ingested drugs.

FDA’s Stance on Cancer Link in Humans

Although the agency acknowledged the cancer link in rats, it maintained that the available evidence does not support such a link in humans, citing hormonal differences between species and significantly lower exposure levels in people.

The delay in the U.S. stands in contrast to other major economies. The European Union banned Red 3 in 1994, followed by similar prohibitions in Japan, China, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Carl Tobias, a former FDA legal consultant and professor at the University of Richmond, noted that the agency took too long to act, despite lobbying pressure from the industry. He called the ban a “step in the right direction.”

CSPI Hopes the Ban Will Lead to Further Action on Harmful Chemicals

CSPI also celebrated the decision but noted that it was long overdue and hoped it would lead to broader action on other harmful chemicals in food. The nonprofit emphasized that these colorants add no nutritional value or preservative function and are merely used to make food more visually appealing. The group also urged the incoming administration of Donald Trump to take further steps to protect consumers, including setting stricter limits on heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium in foods consumed by children.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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