The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is going to ban a popular red dye from food due to its potential to cause cancer. This dye is in thousands of items and may leave them off the shelves for a while.
The Ban
The FDA is banning the use of Red Dye 3 in the U.S. The FDA claims that they have found evidence to support that Red Dye 3 can cause cancer in animals.
“The FDA determined that the data presented in a 2022 color additive petition show that this ingredient causes cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3 because of a hormonal mechanism that occurs in male rats,” the FDA said in a statement on their website.
The FDA says there is no definitive proof that humans can get cancer from the dye, but with the general lack of need for the dye, they have opted to ban it anyway.
This is not a new ban either. In 1990, the dye was banned in cosmetics due to evidence of tumors in male rats following use. Some say the use of this kind of testing is wrong and inaccurate, including Unice Fredrick-Paul, a Huber Heights resident.
“Rats aren’t humans. You can’t base how a rat reacts to something on how a human will. I don’t like that they are putting these rodents through these test, especially because there is no evidence to us having the same reaction, it’s torture,” Fredrick-Paul said.
What is Red Dye 3?
Red Dye 3, or erythrosine, is a petroleum-based synthetic food dye. Its purpose is to act as a synthetic color to foods, medicine and cosmetics. It was approved for use in 1907.
In food, the dye is mainly found in sweet things like candy and cakes. One product that stands out for its use is maraschino cherries. In medicines, it is most commonly found in Acetaminophen, which is a pain reliever, as well as several antidepressant medicines.
One Springfield citizen, William DeVille, questions how common it is.
“[Does] that mean everyone has consumed Red Dye 3 at some point in their lives? It seems unavoidable at this point,” DeVille said.
The ban will take effect in 2027.
