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The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of red dye No.3 in foods. It's been used for decades in thousands of products from candy to snack foods to soda. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports the move comes in response to a petition from consumer groups.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Food and candy makers will be banned from using the petroleum-based Red 3, which gives foods a bright cherry red color. In announcing the order to revoke authorization, the FDA cited the Delaney Clause, a law that states FDA may not authorize a food additive if it has been found to cause cancer. And research has shown that Red 3 can cause cancer in laboratory rats exposed to high levels. Dr. Peter Lurie is executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the group that brought the petition and has been nudging the FDA for years.
PETER LURIE: It feels great to see this finally take place, but the law is absolutely clear. Any additive that causes cancer in humans or animals is not supposed to be in the food supply, but somehow FDA has tolerated this, even after admitting that it caused cancer over three decades ago.
AUBREY: The FDA has long maintained that Red No. 3 did not put people at risk, in part because the amount of the dye used in foods and beverages is typically much lower than the amounts the rats were exposed to. But that's not the only concern. There is also evidence that Red 3 and a bunch of other petroleum-based dyes, which are still used in thousands of food and candy products, may exacerbate behavioral issues in children. So Dr. Lurie says there's more work to do.
LURIE: We're also trying to get warning labels on other dyes that have been associated with ADHD-like symptoms in children.
AUBREY: Last year, after a review of the evidence, California passed a law to ban a group of synthetic dyes in school meals. Professor Jennifer Pomeranz is a food policy expert at New York University. She says the FDA has often taken a hands-off approach compared to other countries, where there's a more proactive approach to regulation.
JENNIFER POMERANZ: Europe operates under the precautionary principle. And what that means is that if there's evidence of harm, they take the precaution to protect their people and remove the ingredient from the food supply.
AUBREY: The food industry has about two years to remove Red 3. The National Confectioners Association says food safety is the No. 1 priority for candy companies and says they will continue to follow and comply with FDA's guidance. Here's the group's Christopher Gindlesperger.
CHRISTOPHER GINDLESPERGER: In terms of alternatives, it's still early. Some companies have moved on to adjust their portfolios and the ingredients in their products. And some, it'll take some time for them to adjust recipes and reformulate products.
AUBREY: One precedent? When Kraft removed synthetic dyes from mac and cheese products, it replaced them with colors from spices, such as paprika and turmeric.
Allison Aubrey, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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