The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is banning food red dye No. 3, the petroleum-based dye that gives thousands of popular candies, snacks and soda an attractive, bright and red color.

The FDA cited recent data showing the dye has been linked to cancer in male rats.

What You Need To Know

  • The food dye known as red No. 3 was initially approved in 1969, having been considered safe to consume in amounts used in food

  • The FDA is banning the dye from foods because of links to cancer in male rats 

  • More than 2,000 products contain the dye, which must be eliminated within three years

The ban can be credited to food safety and health advocates who for years have been calling on the federal government to take action.

“It’s highly concerning when you look at the ingredients, and you can’t say half of what’s in the packaging on the back,” said Melissa Sciba.

Researching the ingredients became a common practice for Sciba after becoming a mom of three.

“It really changed my life,” she said. “What I look at and what’s important.”

Among the ingredients that concern Sciba the most are the dyes.

“It’s been banned in cosmetics for over 30 years,” she said. “And we’re just now talking about it in our food system.”

Use of red dye No. 3 has been reviewed by the FDA multiple times since its original approval in 1969, but it had always concluded it was safe to consume in amounts used in food.

“They’re claiming that the amount does not necessarily correlate one-to-one to humans,” said Dr. Alex Ford. “But I would not want to ingest a dye or any type of additive that has any type of cancer.”

The Capital Region-based family physician and dietician said he breathed a sigh of relief when the FDA announced the ban Wednesday. Ford said it’s also believed to affect behavior among children.

“I’m really curious about problems with autism or hyperactivity going forward,” he said. “Whether we’re going to find more correlations or overlaps between the two.”

While the studies did not show the dye having the same effect in other animals or humans, the FDA is bound to deem any additive linked to cancer in animals or humans unsafe by the Delaney Clause.

With the FDA-imposed ban, companies have up to three years to reformulate their products without red dye No. 3. Right now, there are more than 2,000 products sold across the county that contain the dye, according to the environmental working group, one of the advocacy organizations working on this.

To work around all the potential risks, Sciba launched Foreverly’s a couple of years ago.

“We make frozen treats that are made with clean, organic fruits and vegetables,” Sciba said. “There are no added sugars, no artificial preservatives, no artificial coloring or flavors.”

With a background in health care technology, she never saw herself working in the food industry.

“If you look at our health system, really what it comes down to is the food that we eat,” she said. “That is really the major problem of our health system, and so this is a small piece of what we can do to help it out.”

Sciba says she’s noticed a larger need for alternative snacks than she ever imagined, and has expanded beyond farmer’s markets into the co-op space and even vending machines.