Why Was Red Dye 3 Just Banned?

Red Dye 3 is a food additive used in many products. Several older studies found a link between the dye and some types of cancer in animals. The FDA only recently banned it following a petition from several advocacy organizations.

On January 15, 2025, the Food and Drug Association (FDA) announced that it was revoking the authorization for the use of Red Dye 3 in food and pharmaceutical products.

Red Dye 3, also known as Red No. 3 and erythrosine, is a synthetic food dye. Manufacturers have long used it to impart a vibrant, cherry-red hue to a variety of foods, drinks, and medications.

The ban is based on the Delaney Clause, a portion of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that prohibits the use of additives found to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Below, we explore Red Dye 3 and cancer, products that contain it, and whether other food dyes can affect your health.

Experts and researchers have long studied Red Dye 3 and its link to cancer in rodents. For example, a 1988 study found that rats given Red Dye 3 as a part of their diet were more likely to develop thyroid cancer.

Researchers have also noted that Red Dye 3 appears to have an endocrine (hormone) disrupting effect. This could increase the risk of cancers that are associated with hormones, such as those of the thyroid and breast.

Indeed, animal studies have found that Red Dye 3 affects thyroid hormone levels. Older studies in human men have also investigated Red Dye 3 in relation to thyroid dysfunction.

Research from 1997 conducted on human breast cancer cells found that Red Dye 3 could have an estrogen-like effect. That means that it could potentially stimulate the growth of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers.

The use of Red Dye 3 has been limited or banned before in various areas. For example, the FDA prohibited the use of Red Dye 3 in cosmetics in 1990, citing the Delaney Clause.

Regulatory authorities in the European Union (EU) have restricted the use of Red Dye 3 to cocktail and candied cherries since 1994. Further, California banned the use of Red Dye 3 in foods in 2023, a ban that goes into effect in 2027.

In 2022, 24 organizations petitioned the FDA to remove Red Dye 3 from the list of approved color additives. The 2025 ban is a response to this petition.

In its statement, the FDA noted that the pathways by which Red Dye 3 leads to cancer in rats aren’t present in humans. The FDA also indicated that levels of Red Dye 3 used in cited older studies are much higher than a person would typically be exposed to in food or drugs.

However, because the Delaney Clause prohibits the use of additives that can cause cancer in humans or animals, Red Dye 3 has now been banned.

Manufacturers who use Red Dye 3 in foods or drugs must remove it from their products by 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Red Dye 3 gives various products a cherry-red color. You can find it in many different products, but it’s often in fruit-flavored items (think cherry-flavored yogurt and strawberry ice cream).

Food products that may contain Red Dye 3 include:

Red Dye 3 may also be used to give some pharmaceutical products a red or pink color. These include cough syrups, throat lozenges, chewable vitamins, and medication tablets or capsules coated with red dye.

As manufacturers aren’t required to remove Red Dye 3 from food until 2027 and from drugs until 2028, products containing Red Dye 3 may still be on the market for several years.

So how can you know what does and doesn’t contain Red Dye 3? It’s as simple as checking the label for Red Dye 3 and its other aliases, such as:

The FDA requires manufacturers to label color additives properly. As such, a good rule of thumb is that if a product comes in an alluring shade of pink or red, consider scanning the label to check for Red Dye 3.

In addition to Red Dye 3, there have also been concerns about other food dyes. For example, a 2012 research review notes that:

Research has also linked synthetic food dyes in general to changes in behavior in children. These changes are most often described as a noticeable increase in hyperactivity or attention issues.

For example, a 2022 research review included 27 studies on children and synthetic food dyes. The researchers found evidence supporting a link between these dyes and adverse behavioral effects in children, specifically calling out Yellow Dye 5 in their discussion.

Some bans on the dyes mentioned above have already been enacted. For example, California banned the use of six food dyes in children’s school lunches in 2024, effective December 2027. These dyes include:

In January 2025, the FDA banned the use of Red Dye 3 in foods and pharmaceutical products. Many items, such as candies, desserts, beverages, and cough syrups, contain Red Dye 3.

The reason cited for the FDA ban is the Delaney Clause, which prohibits the use of food additives that can cause cancer in humans or animals. Older studies found that Red Dye 3 could cause cancer in rodents.

The ban on Red Dye 3 will take effect in 2027 for foods and beverages and in 2028 for drugs. Meanwhile, you can see whether a product contains Red Dye 3 by checking its ingredient list.