USA bans red color no. 3 in food, claiming to cause cancer in laboratory rats | Business and economic news
The ban, which US regulators imposed on food items on Wednesday, comes more than three decades after it was banned in cosmetics.
The United States has banned the use of a synthetic food coloring that gives some sweets, cakes and certain oral medications a cherry red color, after evidence that the dye caused cancer in laboratory rats.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday banned red dye no. 3 in food products more than three decades after it was banned in cosmetics.
“Why would you say that something can’t be in cosmetics, but you can eat, makes no sense to me. I’m very pleased that they finally did what I think they should have done years ago,” said petitioner Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.
Consumer groups have been pushing for a ban on the dye for several years, including a petition in 2022 for a review of studies showing that high exposure to the additive can cause cancer in male rats.
“The FDA cannot approve a food additive or a color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The regulator, however, said that studies in other animals and humans have not shown these effects and that the available evidence does not support claims that the use of the dye in food and oral medicines puts people at risk.
Manufacturers using Order No. 3 in food have until January 15, 2027 to reformulate their products, and manufacturers of consumable drugs have until January 18, 2028 to comply with the ban.
Lawmakers criticized FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in a recent US Senate committee hearing on the use of food dyes.
“Food safety is the number one priority for America’s confectionery companies, and we will continue to follow and adhere to FDA guidelines and safety standards,” the National Confectioners Association trade group said.
Robert F Kennedy Jr., US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the country’s top health agency, has often spoken about reducing chemicals in food.
