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| US Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Maryland | Photo: Reuters |
The United States has banned the use of an artificial dye 'Red No. 3' or 'Red Dye 3'used to give foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red color, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday.
Manufacturers will no longer be allowed to use it. Laboratory studies on male mice have shown that the dye is linked to cancer. The FDA banned the dye after this study.
Studies have shown that the dye has less effect on humans than on mice. However, if a link to cancer is found, it is mandatory under US law to ban it.
According to information provided by the FDA, this dye is primarily used in the manufacture of candies, cakes, biscuits, frozen desserts, frostings, and some medicines.
The ban was imposed in 2022 as a result of a petition by several groups, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The groups argued that the dye should be banned to prevent its widespread use by US consumers, especially children, due to its links to cancer.
The FDA banned the use of 'Red No. 3' in cosmetics 35 years ago. California, on the other hand, banned the dye in food products in October 2023.
Outside the United States, its use is prohibited in Australia, New Zealand, and European Union countries.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a US non-profit consumer advocacy group that has long pushed for a ban on the dye, said the FDA was too late to ban it.
In a statement yesterday, FDA President Dr. Peter Lurie said that the use of 'Red 3' in lipstick was illegal. But its use in children's food in candy form was perfectly legal. The FDA is ending this long-standing contradiction.
Food manufacturers will be able to use 'Red 3' until January 2027 to find new ways to manufacture their products. Pharmaceutical manufacturers will have an additional year, until January 2028.
The FDA said that this ban must also be followed when importing food into the United States.