There’s Renewed Pressure on the FDA to Ban Synthetic Food Dye Red No. 3

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Public health advocates are pressuring the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take action on the food dye known as Red No. 3 across. That comes after California banned the additive earlier this month, the first state to do so. NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: The concern about Red dye No. 3 goes back decades. In 1990, the FDA restricted the use of it in cosmetics based on a study that it can cause cancer in rats. And since then, multiple studies have linked consumption of food dyes to behavioral issues in kids, such as being hyperactive. Dr. Peter Lurie of the Center for Science in the Public Interest supports banning it from the food supply.

PETER LURIE: I think the passage of the bill in California creates undeniable pressure on FDA. We have filed a petition with FDA to get Red 3 banned, and we think that this will just make it more likely that they grant our petition.

AUBREY: Synthetic food dyes give bright, flashy coloring to foods, making them more appealing to the eye. Red 3 is found in candies such as the popular Halloween treat candy corn. And Christopher Gindlesperger of the National Confectioners Association says Red 3 is used in many foods since the FDA has long allowed it.