Love is in the air, and so is the potential harm by Red Dye #3 — a bright cherry red synthetic food dye used in food, snacks, and drinks that we commonly see every Valentine’s season.
You might want to rethink about giving and consuming cherry red-colored food this February as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an order today to ban Red Dye #3 from food products and ingested drugs. While we see this bright cherry red-colored food around us all year round, they’re especially prevalent during Valentine’s Day as many manufacturers and restaurants create Valentine-themed food to celebrate.
Red Dye #3, or erythrosine, is a synthetic food dye derived from petroleum. It gives off a bright, cherry-red-like color to food, drinks, and ingested drugs. The dye was actually approved for use back in 1907, but since 1990, it has already been banned in cosmetics and topical drugs as it was found to cause cancer. The use of synthetic dye is already prohibited in Australia, Japan, and other countries in the European Union.
Food manufacturers were given until January 15, 2027, to remove them from all of their products. Makers of ingested drugs, on the other hand, were given until January 18, 2028. In case you are wondering, the ban actually came from the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The clause prohibits the FDA from allowing food or color additives that have been linked to evidence of causing cancer.
What Food Products Were Found to Contain Red Dye #3?
Better watch out for these fast food menu items that may possibly contain Red Dye #3:
Desserts and Baked Goods
- Milkshakes and Ice Cream – Those with strawberry or cherry flavor with bright red syrups.
- Frosted Pastries or Donuts – Food with bright pink or red icing and sprinkles.
- Candies – Fast food chains that use candies as toppers for desserts and shakes.
- Cherries – Those with maraschino cherries or sweetened and preserved cherries may carry the dye with them to give off a bright red color that is far from the actual hue of cherry as a fruit.
- Cookies and Cakes – Baked goods that are red in color, such as red velvet.
- Sprinkles or Decorations – These can be found on shakes and cupcakes for design purposes.
Beverages
- Fruit-Flavored Drinks – Strawberry or cherry-flavored sodas, juices, and slushies
- C*cktails and M*cktails – Beverages that give off a red color or hue. They’re mostly topped with maraschino cherries.
Sauces
- Sweet and Sour Sauce – Food with a sauce that displays a bright red or orange hue.
- Dipping Sauces – Sauces with barbecue or fruit flavor that’s been added to burgers or as a side for fries.
As you can see, packaged snacks or products are the main culprits behind these dyes from fast food menu items. According to the Eat Well Guide (EWG) Food Services, around 3,000 food products that contain coloring dye are sold in the US market.
Here are specific pre-packaged products that contain Red Dye #3 as of writing, according to New York Post:
- MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips
- Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice
- PEZ Candy (Cherry, Strawberry, Grape, Raspberry, Orange, Lemon)
- Dubble Bubble Original Twist Bubble Gum
- Entenmann’s Little Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins
- Betty Crocker Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Fruit by the Foot Starburst
- Dole Diced Fruit Cup
- Fruit cocktail cherries
Effects of Red Dye #3 on Health
A petition about color additives was sent to the FDA by different health agencies and public interest research back in 2022. In one of the data that they presented, it was shown that the ingredient causes cancer in male laboratory rats that are exposed to high levels of FD&C Red #3 due to a hormonal mechanism that occurs in male rats. However, studies on other animals and humans did not show the same effect, and there is no evidence showing that dye causes cancer in humans.
Other Regulatory Information
To properly explain how color additives are regulated, here’s an explanation of the process that a product or food undergoes as well as the banning of it when it is found to be harmful:
Under the FD&C Act (Chapter VII, section 721), color additives such as Red Dye #3 are subjected to FDA approval before they are free to use in food, drugs, and cosmetics. Even in medical devices, as long as they come into contact with people or even animals, the FDA should be contacted. By law, the Red Dye #3 additive requires a pre-market review and approval by the FDA. The law also requires evidence that a color additive is safe under the intended conditions of use may be added to the food.
To ensure safety in color additives, manufacturers are required to submit data and information to the FDA about a petition to request approval of the intended use of coloring. The FDA evaluates the petition and other existing data and information about the additive.
The petition must include existing data and information, as well as the available data that shows that the substance is safe under proposed conditions of use, and the agency issues a regulation to authorize the use of color additives. When the FDA evaluates the safety of the color or a new use of it, they consider factors such as the amount of consumption, intended use, the manufacturing process, and the physical and chemical properties of it.
When the use of the additive is approved, the regulations will specify the products where it is allowed to be used, the maximum amounts allowed to be used, the identity and specifications, and whether it must be certified by the FDA. In cases where data shows that the color additive can cause cancer in humans or animals based on the appropriate tests, the Delaney Clause will take effect and direct the FDA to mark its uses as unsafe.
Under the food labeling regulations of FDA, the certified colors must declare in the statement of ingredients in food labels about the color additive such as “FD&C Red No. 3” or without the “FD&C” or the term “No.”– “FD&C Red 3” or just “Red 3”.
From The Club
I must admit that the cherry-red coloring makes food, especially candies, more appealing. There’s something that says it would hit your cravings for sweets. But it’s a good thing that it was flagged as something that could potentially harm humans. While the FDA noted that the studies did not show the same effect of cancer on other animals and humans, it’s better safe than sorry. Besides, it doesn’t give humans any health benefits, and this move could lead to safer and natural flavoring in food.