On Jan. 15, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned using FD&C Red No. 3, also known as Red Dye No. 3, in food and ingested drugs.
According to the FDA website, the dye was banned based on the Delaney Clause, an amendment that prohibits FDA authorization of any food and color additives that are found to increase the risk of cancer in humans and animals.
Data presented in a 2022 color additive petition showed that male laboratory rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3 saw an increase in cancer due to the hormonal mechanisms that occur in their bodies. However, no evidence shows that FD&C Red No. 3 causes human cancer.
Some foods that contain the dye are:
- Candy corn
- Some brands of maraschino cherries
- Dubble Bubble Bubblegum
- Conversation Hearts
- TruMoo Strawberry Whole Milk
- McCormick red food coloring
- Some medications and vitamins
News of the ban alarmed some students who have been exposed to the color additive.
“[The fact that so much of our food containsFD&C Red No. 3] shocks me and surprises me, because I didn’t think that red dye could have this many side effects or be this dangerous, and it sucks to know that the foods that I like eating have so much of them in it,” Reva Mehrotra ‘26 said.
Concerns about the color additive Red 40 have surfaced along with the FD&C Red No. 3 ban.
According to the National Library of Medicine, experiments involving mice have found that exposure to Red 40 has specific harmful side effects, including the damage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and colonic inflammation.
“I love Takis, and Takis obviously have Red 40 in them. So I mean, I think it’s just shocking to see how many foods and snacks that I appreciate and love eating, especially spicy snacks, have such dangerous substances and chemicals,” Mehrotra ‘26 said.
Consumers can still see FD&C Red No. 3 listed in the ingredients of products manufactured before the ban was issued.
Manufacturers will respectively have until Jan. 15, 2027, or Jan. 18, 2028, to reformulate their products to remove FD&C Red No. 3.
