Is Red No. 3, the artificial food dye, safe? FDA may finally move to ban it

Is Red No. 3 safe? The FDA may finally move to ban artificial red food dye, the coloring found in beverages, snacks, cereals and candies.

The Food and Drug Administration may finally move to ban artificial red food dye, the coloring found in beverages, snacks, cereals and candies.

At the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee meeting Thursday, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said it’s been over a decade since the safety of the synthetic color additive Red No. 40 has been re-evaluated. “With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we’re hopeful that in the next few weeks we’ll be acting on that petition,” he said.

apomares / Getty Images/iStockphotoHouse Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., also urged the FDA to ban Red No. 3, which is made from petroleum and gives food and drinks a bright cherry color.

“With the holiday season in full swing where sweet treats are abundant, it is frightening that this chemical remains hidden in these foods that we and our children are eating,” Pallone wrote in a letter to the agency. “While food companies must ensure that the food they market is safe, they are also only required to ensure that their products meet FDA’s standards. This means that thousands of products that contain this chemical can remain on the market.”  

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has claimed food dyes cause cancer, but has not said what he would do if confirmed to the Cabinet post — if anything — about artificial food dyes in American food. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/red-dye-no-3-fda-ban-food-artificial-color-rcna183095

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