Red is often used to make foods and medicines look more vibrant.
A synthetic food dye commonly added to candy and sweets is being pulled from the market.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration officially removed its authorization of Red No.
Red No. 3 is commonly used to give candies a bright, cherry-red color.© dehooks via Getty
3 from use in foods and ingested drugs.
The dye has been linked to cancer in rats and other potential health issues in children.
The FDAannouncedits removal of Red No.
3 from the market in an update released on Wednesday.
Companies that rely on Red No.
3 will be given up to three years to remove it from their products.
3 is derived from petroleum and has been around since the early 1900s.
As the name suggests, its used to give foods a bright, cherry-red color.
Over the years, however, some scientists and public health advocates have cast doubt on the dyes safety.
Starting in the 1980s, studies found that high levels of Red No.
3 appeared to cause the formation of thyroid tumors in male lab rats.
In 1990, the FDA banned Red No.
3 from use in cosmetic products and some foods such as ice cream, citing this research.
But the FDA has never endorsed the idea that Red No.
3 is a likely cancer risk in humans, even now.
In its latest announcement, the agency stated that the cancers tied to Red No.
3 found in these earlier studies were the result of a specific hormonal mechanism found only in rats.
The rats were also exposed to levels of Red No.
3 that were much higher than the doses people are regularly exposed to through food.
The agency went on to blankly add that the way that FD&C Red No.
3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.
Both inthe 1990sand now, the FDAs rationale for removing Red No.
3 based on earlier rat studies.
The FDA has now determined that it should be and that Red No.
3 should be wholly banned as a result.
Some studies have found a link between Red No.
Manyother countriesaround the world have enacted their own bans or restrictions of Red No.
The FDAs ban is certainly welcome news to the consumer organizations that have led the charge against Red No.
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?
It will take some time for Red No.
3 to be permanently pulled from the market.
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