Wed Jan 15 20:55:54 UTC 2025: ## FDA Bans Cancer-Linked Red Food Dye After Decades of Pressure

**Washington D.C.** – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a ban on Red No. 3, a synthetic food dye used to color various food and drug products a cherry-red, effective January 2027 and 2028 for food and drugs respectively. The decision follows decades of advocacy by consumer groups and comes over 30 years after the dye was prohibited in cosmetics.

The FDA cited evidence from studies showing that Red No. 3 causes cancer in laboratory rats as the basis for the ban. While studies in other animals and humans did not show the same effects, and the FDA maintains that current evidence does not indicate a significant risk to humans, the agency stated that it cannot authorize a food additive shown to be carcinogenic in any animal testing.

Former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Linda Birnbaum, expressed her satisfaction with the ban, stating, “Why you would say something can’t be in cosmetics, but you can eat it makes no sense to me.” Consumer advocacy groups, who submitted a petition in 2022 urging a review of studies linking high exposure to the dye with cancer in male rats, have championed this action for years.

Manufacturers have a grace period to reformulate their products, with food manufacturers having until January 15, 2027, and ingested drug makers until January 18, 2028, to comply. The National Confectioners Association affirmed its commitment to food safety and adherence to FDA guidelines. The ban follows recent scrutiny of food dye use by US Senate committees. The incoming administration’s focus on reducing chemicals in food, as voiced by President-elect Trump’s health agency nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aligns with this regulatory action.

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