The FDA has banned Red No. 3, a synthetic dye used in candy, cereals, and Tylenol

Red food dye

The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of a specific red dye in food products.

Red No. 3, a synthetic dye which gives a cherry hue to candies, sodas, and some medications, has been linked to cancer in some studies.

“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals,” Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy director for human foods, said in a statement.

“Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”

Red No. 3 is present in a quarter of baking decorations and tenth of cookies sold in the US. Products include:

• Nerds
• Peeps
• Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips
• Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice
• Tylenol PM

Food companies have until 2027 to phase out Red No. 3 from their products. Drug companies, like the maker of Tylenol PM, have until 2028.

A spokesperson for the National Confectioners Association told B-17 candy makers welcome

Is food dye a health risk?

A group of organizations has been petitioning the FDA to ban Red No. 3, citing animal studies showing a link to thyroid cancer.

The FDA has also reviewed evidence that some synthetic food dyes could increase children’s risk of ADHD.

While the EU determined the evidence was strong enough to warn against synthetic dyes for kids, the US said more research is needed.

Europe, California, and RFK took the lead

The move comes more than 30 years after the FDA banned the use of Red No. 3 in cosmetics, when animal studies showed links to cancer.

At the time, the FDA promised to extend that ban to food products too, in part due to pressure from the food industry.

“Americans like their cherries red,” a food lobbyist who worked with the maraschino cherry industry told the Washington Post in 1989, fighting to keep Red No. 3.

In the EU, Red No. 3 is banned in all cosmetic and food products except cocktail cherries. Instead, manufacturers use natural dyes like carmine, turmeric, and beets to add vibrance to their products.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been making a push to follow suit at the state level.

In 2023, Newsom signed into law a ban on Red No 3., giving food giants until 2027 to change their products. In September 2024, he issued a ban on six other synthetic food dyes in public schools: Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. That, too, will take effect in 2027.

It is serendipitous timing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department.

In his campaign for president, Kennedy promised Americans that he would ban all synthetic food dyes in his pursuit to “make America healthy again.”