Red 3 has been banned for use in cosmetics and topical drugs since 1990. Why is it still in our food?

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In 1990, the FDA banned the use of Red No. 3 in topical drugs and cosmetics. Their cited reasoning was that the color additive was “not shown to be safe,” because when fed to rats, Red No. 3 was found to slightly increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Today, that same dye is still found in candy corn, ring pops, Pez, and nearly 3,000 other foods that we eat, which raises the question: If it’s not safe to put on our skin … is it really safe to ingest? Many researchers, advocates, and now state lawmakers say no.

Last year, California passed a bill formally banning Red Dye No. 3 and several other additives from food in the state. The bill gives the food industry until 2027 to remove the additives from their products. The industry is already responding, with companies like Pediasure quickly removing the dye from their shakes.

The question remains, though: Where is the federal ban on Red No. 3 in food if the FDA deemed it unsafe for topical uses over 30 years ago?

Vox’s podcast Explain It to Me put out an episode about dyes, too. You can check it out here: https://link.chtbl.com/explainit?sid=...

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For more information from CSPI and their work:
https://www.cspinet.org/
https://www.cspinet.org/pressrelease...
https://www.cspinet.org/page/syntheti...
https://www.cspinet.org/resource/red...

The Environmental Working Group has a great resource that rates food. Here’s a link to everything containing Red No. 3:
https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/ingred...
And a link to all their other guides: https://www.ewg.org/consumerguides

The FDA lays out a ton of extensive information on how they approve color additives (and food additives in general). You can find that on their website:
https://www.fda.gov/food/foodingredi...
https://www.fda.gov/food/foodingredi...
https://www.fda.gov/food/foodingredi...
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmeti...