VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Cancer-linked red dye still on shelves despite FDA ban
Mya Alysia: Nicole Beckwith, who is the director of the master of arts in nutrition science program at Falk College, is passionate about food and training the newest generation of dietitians.
Nicole Beckwith: I think consumers should know that they are empowered and recommended to know what’s in their foods by gaining the skills of reading labels and, you know, staying atop news that is released to us as consumers.
Alysia: Red Dye No. 3 is a synthetic dye that gives some food, drinks and ingested drugs a bright, cherry red color. Back in 1990, the Food and Drug Administration banned Red Dye 3 from cosmetics and topical drugs after studies showed the dye caused cancer in laboratory rats. Under what’s known as the Delaney clause, any food additive that’s found to cause cancer in either humans or animals must be banned. In January, the FDA banned it in food, but you’ll still find the controversial dye in everything from cupcakes to candy. Thomas Galligan and his team at the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA for a removal for years.
Thomas Galligan: It was actually the FDA itself who determined that Red 3 caused cancer back in 1990, and back then at that very moment, they were obligated to ban it. That didn’t change over the next 35 years. It really shouldn’t have taken any petition to get them to do that.
Alysia: Michigan State professor Joseph Zagorski, who works at the center for research on ingredient safety, says the additive is a way for manufacturers to make food more appealing.
Joseph Zagorski: And so just understanding that detection doesn’t mean unsafe. Presence doesn’t mean harm. It really matters how much you’re exposed to and how long you’re exposed to it, and specifically with Red 3, I’m not concerned.
Alysia: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has started the system to remove the U.S. Food and Drug Administration program called GRAS.
Beckwith: GRAS, so Generally Recognized As Safe, is a terminology that is used for those items, those additives that have been approved.
Alysia: Companies can add new ingredients to food products, label them as “generally regarded as safe” and not provide the FDA with complete information about whether these ingredients are actually safe. Steps are being taken to require companies to inform the FDA before adding new ingredients to food, share safety data about these ingredients, and explain their intended use, with this information being made public. The FDA says manufacturers have until 2027 to remove the dye from food and 2028 for ingested drugs. Once the dye is fully banned, the FDA says they will begin inspections of food manufacturing companies and will monitor imports. Mya Alysia, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – On Jan. 15, the Food and Drug Administration banned FD&C Red Dye No. 3 from food and ingested drugs, but it still remains on grocery store shelves across the country.
Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a synthetic dye made from petroleum that gives food, drinks and ingested drugs a bright cherry red color.
The controversial dye can be found in everything from cupcakes to candy, and in foods that aren’t red like strawberry milk, candy corn and chewing gum.
Under the FDA’s food labeling regulations, the dye must be printed on labels as “FD&C Red No. 3,” “FD&C Red 3” and “Red 3.”
In 1990, the FDA banned the ingredient from cosmetics and topical drugs after studies revealed it caused cancer in laboratory rats.
One of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act sections known as the Delaney Clause prohibits any food additive that causes cancer in either humans or animals.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA for its removal in 2022, which in turn took years to see.
“It was actually the FDA itself who determined that Red 3 caused cancer back in 1990, and back then at that very moment, they were obligated to ban it,” said Thomas Galligan, a principal scientist for food additives and supplements at CSPI. “That didn’t change over the next 35 years. It really shouldn’t have taken any petition to get them to do that.”
The additive is a way for manufacturers to give food a vibrant color and make it more appealing.
“Understanding that detection doesn’t mean unsafe. Presence doesn’t mean harm,” said Joseph Zagorski, an assistant professor at the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety at Michigan State University. “It really matters how much you’re exposed to and how long you’re exposed to it, and specifically with Red 3, I’m not concerned.”
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. started the process of removing the FDA program called Generally Recognized as Safe.
This is a system used in food safety, and companies have worked around it by adding chemicals or substances into food and drinks and labeling them as safe without providing the FDA with the proper information and allowing them to test to make sure before adding ingredients into the food supply.
Now measures are being placed to ensure companies notify the FDA, share safety data and explain their intended use. The information will also be made available to the public.
The FDA says manufacturers have until 2027 to remove the dye from food and 2028 for ingested drugs.
Once the dye is fully banned, the FDA says it will begin inspections of food manufacturing companies and will monitor imports.