USA bans use of red no. 3 dye in food, medicine over potential cancer compounds

(Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday banned the use of a synthetic food dye that gives some sweets, cakes and certain oral medicines a cherry-red color, after evidence that the dye causes cancer in laboratory rats.

The Food and Drug Administration’s ban on the dye, called Red No. 3, in food comes more than three decades after it was banned in cosmetics.

Consumer groups have pushed for its ban for several years, including a petition in 2022 to review studies showing that high exposure to the additive can cause cancer in male rats.

“FDA cannot approve a food additive or color additive if it has been shown to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods.

However, the regulator said that studies in other animals and humans did not show these effects and that available evidence does not support claims that the dye’s use in food and oral medicines puts humans at risk.

Manufacturers using red no. 3 in foodstuffs, have until 15 January 2027 to reformulate their products and manufacturers of ingested substances have until 18 January 2028 to comply with the ban.

In a recent Senate committee hearing, lawmakers had grilled FDA Commissioner Robert Califf over the use of food dyes, including red no. 3.

“Food safety is the number one priority for American confectionery companies, and we will continue to follow and comply with the FDA’s guidance and safety standards,” the trade group National Confectioners Association said.

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s top health agency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has often spoken about reducing chemicals in food.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Arun Koyyur)