FDA Bans Ingredient Believed To Be Harmful To Children After Years Of Mounting Pressure

After years of cries from food safety and health advocates, the Food and Drug Administration made a big announcement on January 15. The Associated Press reported that the FDA officially granted a petition to ban the use of the dye erythrosine, also known as FD&C, Red No. 3, or Red 3, by January 2027. This means that some foods will no longer have their bright red color, despite dye advocates saying the benefits far outweigh the potentially hazardous hue.

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Food, medication, and dietary supplement manufacturers commonly use Red No 3. The United States banned its use in cosmetics in 1990. The European Union outlawed it entirely in 1994.

“This is a welcome, but long overdue, action from the FDA: removing the unsustainable double standard in which Red 3 was banned from lipstick but permitted in candy,” Dr. Peter Lurie, director of the group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said.

Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods, told the AP, “The FDA is taking action that will remove the authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs. 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.”

The ingredient can also trigger behavioral issues and agitation in children. It can also be harmful to their brain health, according to CNN.

The ban will take effect in January 2027 for food manufacturers. Ingestid drug companies have until January 2028 to eliminate the use of Red No. 3 from their products.

The National Confectioners Association released a statement regarding the Red No. 3 ban. It reads in part,

“Food safety is the number one priority for U.S. confectionery companies. And we will continue to follow and comply with FDA’s guidance and safety standards. Our consumers and everyone in the food industry want and expect a strong FDA, and a consistent, science-based national regulatory framework. We have been saying for years that FDA is the rightful national regulatory decision maker and leader in food safety.”

This story’s featured image is by Zigmunds Dizgalvis via Shutterstock.