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Red Dye No. 3 is in over 9,000 U.S. products: ‘This stuff is not good,' scientist says—here's how to avoid it until the ban takes effect

Red Dye No. 3 is in over 9,000 U.S. products: ‘This stuff is not good,’ scientist says—here’s how to avoid it until the ban takes effect
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Red Dye No. 3 is in over 9,000 U.S. products: ‘This stuff is not good,’ scientist says—here’s how to avoid it until the ban takes effect

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration banned a popular synthetic food dye, Red Dye No. 3, which is commonly used to create a bright red color in foods, medications and supplements.

Red Dye No. 3 is "found in certain candy, cakes and cupcakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and frostings and icings, and ingested drugs," according to the FDA. In 1990, the additive was banned by the agency for use in cosmetics and topical drugs.

"It's definitive that Red No. 3 causes inflammation, causes cancer [and] causes major thyroid activity in rats and pigs. We've known this for 35 years," says Frederic Bertley, CEO and President of the Center of Science & Industry and a leading science educator.

A study from the 1980s found that high doses of Red No. 3 caused tumors in male rats, CNBC reported. Data from a 2022 color additive petition showed the same effects from exposure to the dye on male rats, which led to the FDA's decision. The agency notes that "there is no evidence showing FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in humans."

"Ultimately, you want to test in humans but rats, pigs, monkeys, believe it or not, even though they're three different kinds of species, they're very similar to mammals. There hasn't been a ton of data yet in humans to show the direct link to cancer or other things, but there's a preponderance of evidence that this stuff is not good," Bertley tells CNBC Make It.

By January 2027, manufacturers who use Red No. 3 in their foods must change the formula of their products to exclude it. Manufacturers of drugs that use the dye must reformulate their products by January 2028.

Red No. 3 is already banned or restricted in many countries, including Australia and Japan. California announced a ban of the dye in food throughout the state in 2023, and other states began introducing legislation to restrict its use, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

'If you have a Red No. 3 dye in your cupboard, don't use it'

Over 9,000 food products in the U.S. contain Red Dye No. 3, the CSPI reports. It's found in many of the ultra-processed foods that are sold in stores, according to Casey Parker, registered dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center.

According to the FDA, the CSPI, Drugs.com and Parker, Red No. 3 may be found in:

  • Candy
  • Cookies
  • Cakes and cupcakes
  • Frostings
  • Bacon bits
  • Vegetarian meats, especially imitation bacon
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Colored beverages
  • Protein shakes
  • Frozen desserts like ice pops
  • Acetaminophen
  • Fluoxetine

Depending on the manufacturer, the foods and drugs listed above may not contain Red No. 3. To be sure, Parker suggests checking your labels.

The additive can be listed on labels as "FD&C Red No. 3," "FD&C Red 3" or "Red 3," according to the FDA.

"You should probably pass on" products that include Red No. 3 "and pick up a different [one]," Bertley says. And for bakers or people who use dyes in the kitchen, "if you have a Red No. 3 dye in your cupboard, don't use it. Just find an alternative."

There are many stores that carry naturally colored foods. You can opt for products that obtain their red color by using beet powder, beetroot powder, vegetable juices or fruit juices as a dye, Parker says.

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