Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently confirmed as the U.S. secretary of health and human services, campaigned on a promise to “Make America Healthy Again,” including a focus on artificial dyes and other chemicals in food. His support has been buoyed by “MAHA moms,” women on social media calling for an end to artificial ingredients and ultraprocessing in the U.S. food supply, among other concerns. “I was called a conspiracy theorist because I said that red dye caused cancer,” Kennedy said during his confirmation hearing. “Now, FDA has acknowledged that and banned it.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the dye known as Red 3 from the nation’s food supply in January, setting deadlines for stripping the brightly hued additive from candies and cough syrup, baked goods and frozen treats.
What are artificial colors?
Synthetic dyes are petroleum-based chemicals that don’t occur in nature. They’re widely used in foods to “enhance the visual appeal” of products, according to Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings.
Nine dyes, including Red 3, have been allowed in U.S. food. The other common color additives in food are Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Two permitted colors are used more rarely: Citrus Red 2 and Orange B.
The FDA certifies synthetic color additives and regulates their use.
With the FDA’s recent order on Red 3, manufacturers have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products. Makers of ingested drugs like cough syrups have until January 2028.
The agency said it was taking the action because studies found that the dye, also known as erythrosine, caused cancer in lab rats. A federal statute requires FDA to ban any additive found to cause cancer in animals, though officials stressed that the way Red 3 leads to cancer in rats doesn’t happen in people.
But the dye is only one of several synthetic colors widely found in common foods and other products. Learn More: https://apnews.com/article/synthetic-dyes-red-3-artificial-colors-ef5af10b3aca66d0033d3f239546f1aa