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FDA bans cancer causing Red Dye 3 in food and ingested drugs in response to petition submitted by food safety groups

Consumer Reports praises FDA ban and urges agency to take action on other synthetic food dyes linked to neurobehavioral problems in children 

WASHINGTON DC – Consumer Reports applauded the FDA today for banning Red Dye 3 in food and ingested drugs in response to a petition calling on the agency to prohibit the dangerous dye submitted by food safety groups. In 2022, CR signed onto a petition to the agency led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest calling for a ban of Red Dye 3, which is a known carcinogen and has been linked to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral effects in children.

In October, CR delivered a separate petition signed by more than 80,000 consumers to the FDA pressing it to ban the chemical in food. Last year, CR cosponsored a law to ban Red Dye 3 and other harmful additives in food. With today’s FDA decision to ban Red Dye 3 nationwide, CR is continuing to press the agency to ban other synthetic food dyes that have been linked to neurobehavioral problems in children and launched a petition calling on the agency to take action.

“Red Dye 3 poses an unacceptable risk to our health, especially when safer alternatives are readily available,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. “By banning Red Dye 3, the FDA will protect the public by encouraging manufacturers to switch to safer ingredients already used in products sold in Europe and numerous other countries.”

Red Dye 3 is a synthetic dye made from petroleum that gives food and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. It was banned by the FDA from use in cosmetics after it was shown to cause cancer in lab rats. At the time, the FDA indicated that it would take steps to ban Red Dye 3 in food, but never followed through until today. Red Dye 3 has already been banned by the European Union and was recently prohibited in food sold in California starting in 2027 through legislation co-sponsored by CR and the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

According to EWG, nearly 3,000 food products on the market today contain Red Dye 3, including many artificially flavored  and artificially colored candy marketed to children. While Red Dye 3 poses risks to people of all ages, young children may be most vulnerable because of their small body weight and higher levels of exposure.

Red Dye 3 is just one of several synthetic dyes found in food that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. In 2021, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment released a study finding that many food dyes and colorants are known to make some children vulnerable to behavioral difficulties and decreased attention. This includes six dyes covered by the newly enacted California School Food Safety Act, which bans Red Dye 40, Yellow Dye 5, Yellow Dye 6, Blue Dye 1, Blue Dye 2, and Green Dye 3 in food served in the state’s public schools.

“Many synthetic food dyes are allowed in food but haven’t been reviewed for safety by the FDA in decades despite recent studies that have linked the chemicals to serious health problems,” said Ronholm. “It’s time for the FDA to catch up with the latest science and get these harmful chemicals out of our food.”

Contact: Michael McCauley, michael.mccauley@consumerreports.org

 

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