What Foods Use Red Dye No. 3—and Why Was It Just Banned?

Talk of a federal ban on certain food additives has been brewing for years, but now that possibility has crystallized into reality, at least for one much-talked-about dye. On January 15, the FDA issued an order targeting FD&C Red No. 3, a synthetic coloring agent also known as Red Dye No. 3, Red Dye 3, and erythrosine. Used for its bright cherry hue, Red No. 3 is currently found in some common foods and ingested drugs—but maybe not for much longer.

So what does this policy change mean for your favorite foods and drinks—and for your health? Have you been unknowingly consuming harmful chemicals all these years? If you’re alarmed, concerned, or even just confused, we have answers to these questions for you.

What’s behind the FDA ban on Red Dye No. 3?

It’s based on the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Enacted all the way back in 1960, this law basically states that the FDA can’t authorize food or color additives if they’ve been found to cause cancer in people or animals. In fact, as a result of the same law, Red Dye No. 3 was banned from cosmetic products in 1990.

So yes, some research indicates that Red No. 3 has links to cancer, but there’s a caveat. Namely, the dye was found to cause cancer in male lab rats exposed to high doses—but not in other animals or humans. Other research has raised concerns about a link between synthetic food dyes like Red No. 3 and negative behavioral effects in kids (especially ADHD and hyperactivity), though a 2012 summary published in Neurotherapeutics concluded these ingredients were not the main cause.

Currently, “claims that the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and in ingested drugs puts people at risk are not supported by the available scientific information,” the FDA said in a statement.

Still, these types of concerns have led other governing bodies to ban the additive: For example, for decades, it’s only authorized to be used in cocktail cherries, candied cherries, and Bigarreaux cherries in the European Union. Then in 2023, California governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning the use of the dye and three other chemicals in food sold and produced in the state.

“The FDA has been slow to act on many ingredients that have evidence of health harm,” some going back decades, Jennifer Pomeranz, JD, MPH, an associate professor of public health policy and management at the NYU School of Global Public Health, tells SELF.

So what foods contain Red No. 3?

While there still are a good amount, there are fewer than there used to be. Many companies have already begun phasing out Red No. 3, particularly after California’s Food Safety Act passed. These include Just Born, the parent company of Peeps, the confectioner famous for its marshmallow chicks. In 2023, the company announced that it would remove Red No. 3 from its formula; that change was due to take effect following Easter 2024.