(Reuters) -The U.S. on Wednesday banned the use of a synthetic food dye that gives some candies, cakes and certain oral medications a cherry-red color, following evidence that the dye causes cancer in laboratory rats.
The ban by the Food and Drug Administration on the dye, called Red No. 3, in food items comes more than three decades after it was barred in cosmetics.
Consumer advocacy groups have been pushing for its ban for several years, including a petition in 2022 to review studies that show high exposure to the additive may cause cancer in male rats.
“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods.
The regulator, however, said studies in other animals and in humans did not show these effects and that available evidence does not support claims that the dye’s use in food and oral drugs puts people at risk.
Manufacturers who use Red No. 3 in food have until Jan. 15, 2027 to reformulate their products and ingested drugs makers have until Jan. 18, 2028, to comply with the ban.
Lawmakers had in a recent Senate Committee hearing grilled FDA Commissioner Robert Califf over the use of food dyes, including Red no. 3.
“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,” trade group National Confectioners Association said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the country’s top health agency, has frequently talked about reducing chemicals in food.
