What foods use Red Dye No. 3? What to know about the newly banned food coloring

The Food and Drug Administration has said it is banning the use of Red No. 3, a synthetic dye that has long been used in the U.S. to color certain foods, such as candies and colored beverages, as well as some oral medicines and supplements.

Research shows Red No. 3 can cause cancer in animals, NBC News reported. Many food safety advocates have been concerned for decades about the substance's presence in the U.S. food system.

“We’re thrilled that the FDA has finally taken action to remove this unneeded color additive for the market and in so doing has followed the clear dictates of the law," Dr. Peter Lurie, president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), tells TODAY.com.

“In the absence of lobbying by the industry, I think we would all expect this product to have been banned decades ago,” he adds.

Food manufacturers have until Jan. 15, 2027 to remove Red No. 3 from their products, and drug manufacturers have until Jan. 18, 2028 to remove it from ingested medicines, according to the FDA.

Why did the FDA ban Red Dye No. 3?

The FDA said it is banning the use of Red Dye No. 3 due to evidence that the synthetic color additive can cause cancer in animals.

The agency says that under a clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), the FDA is not allowed to authorize any color additive "if it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals."

Jim Jones, the agency’s deputy director for human foods, said there is "evidence" of "cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red Dye No. 3" in a statement to NBC News.

Red Dye No. 3 has not been linked to cancer in people, but Lurie says that's likely because it is difficult to study whether substances like food additives cause cancer in humans for a "variety of technical reasons."

For example, it's unethical to give human participants a substance that may cause cancer for a double-blinded study, and studying rates of cancer in the population consuming Red 3 is challenging because so many people consume it, usually in unknown quantities.

There are also concerns around Red Dye No. 3 and children. In 2011, the FDA investigated a possible link between the use of artificial dyes, including Red 3, and hyperactivity in kids. But the agency found no causal relationship, NBC News reported.

The national ban comes after California outlawed the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food in 2023. Ten other states, including Washington, South Dakota, Illinois and Missouri, also introduced legislation in recent years to restrict the use of Red Dye No. 3, according to CSPI.

What is Red Dye No. 3?

Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a synthetic food dye that gives foods and drinks a bright red color. It is also sometimes used in oral medicines and supplements.

The FDA has approved 36 color additives for use in the U.S.; nine are synthetic dyes.

On food labels, the substance is listed as “FD&C Red No. 3,” “FD&C Red 3” or “Red 3," according to the FDA.

In 1990, the FDA banned the use of the dye in cosmetics and topical drugs after a study linked the additive to tumors in male lab rats exposed to high doses.

Lurie called the banning of Red 3 in cosmetics but not food three and a half decades ago a "regulatory paradox," pointing out that it was "illegal for use in lipstick, but perfectly legal to feed to children in the form of candy."

"The primary purpose of food dyes is to make candy, drinks, and other processed foods more attractive. When the function is purely aesthetic, why accept any cancer risk?" he said in a statement.

Many other countries, including Japan, Australia and countries in the European Union, have either already banned or restricted the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, according to NBC News.

What foods contain Red Dye No. 3?

While some food manufacturers have already stoped using Red 3 and other artificial dyes in their products, thousands of foods contain Red Dye No. 3, according to CSPI.

"A search of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Branded Foods Database at FoodData Central identified 9,201 US food products that contain Red 3 — including hundreds of products made by the country’s biggest food companies," the CSPI notes.

Here is a list of some common foods that may contain Red 3 — per Lurie, the FDA, the CSPI and Amanda Beaver, a dietitian at Houston Methodist hospital.

• Candy, especially seasonal candies, such as candy corn and dyed marshmallows
• Cakes and cupcakes
• Frozen desserts, such as ice pops and ice creams with strawberry flavoring
• Frostings
• Maraschino cherries
• Fruit cocktails
• Colored beverages
• Protein shakes
• Vegetarian meats
• Bacon bits
• Sausages
• Strawberry milk
• Puddings

However, it is important to note that not every item that falls into one of the above categories will contain Red 3. That's why Lurie urges consumers to read food labels before making a purchase.

Red 3 is legally required to be on food labels if present and will be listed as:

• FD&C Red No. 3
• FD&C Red 3
• Red 3

Medicines with Red No. 3

Lurie says the dye is also present in some oral medications and supplements. According to Drugs.com, some of the oral medicines that may contain Red 3 include:

• Acetaminophen, a pain reliever
• Fluoxetine, an antidepressant
• Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant
• Andomeprazole, which treats heartburn

“Practically everybody is consuming Red 3 some of the time," Lurie says. "They don’t really know it, and they don’t know in what quantities they’re consuming it."

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