The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned Red No. 3, USA TODAY reports, a dye that gives food and drink a bright, cherry-red color.
The removal is in response to a color additive petition filed in 2022 by advocates who claim the additive is linked to cancer and behavioral problems in children, USA TODAY reports. Manufacturers who use Red No. 3 in food will have until Jan. 15, 2027, to change their products, according to Wednesday’s FDA announcement, while those who use the dye in drugs will have until Jan. 18, 2028.
So, what foods and drinks contain Red No. 3? Here’s a list.
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What foods and drinks have red dye 3?
Newsweek published a list of some of the foods and drinks that contain Red No. 3. Those items include:
- Candies like Pez Assorted Fruit, Dubble Bubble Original Twist, Brach’s Candy Corn and Jelly Belly.
- Baked goods and snacks like Entenmann’s Little Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins, Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot, Toaster pastries and cookies with red icing or decorations.
- Dairy and frozen foods like strawberry-flavored milk, some ice cream and frozen yogurt flavors, and ice pops and fruit bars.
- Fruit products like Maraschino cherries and some fruit cocktails.
- Beverages like strawberry-flavored Yoo-hoo and some sodas and fruit drinks.
- Medications like some cough syrups, gummy vitamins and strawberry-flavored PediaSure.
According to the Environmental Working Group, more than 3,000 products contain Red No. 3.
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What is Red No. 3? It was banned in cosmetics in 1990
Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a color additive made from petroleum commonly used in candy, cakes and cupcakes, frozen desserts, frostings and icing, and certain ingested drugs, per the FDA. It was banned from use in cosmetics in the U.S. in 1990 due to evidence that the dye causes cancer at high doses to lab rats.
Is Red No. 3 banned in other countries?
Yes, Red No. 3 is largely banned in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.
