By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-15 20:51:16 | Updated at 2025-01-16 00:12:47
3 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Jan. 15 that it is banning artificial food coloring Red No. 3 after studies linked the dye to cancer in animals.
“The FDA cannot authorize a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in human or animals,” said Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy director for human foods, in NBC’s report. “Evidence shows cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of FD&C Red No. 3.”
The dye was banned from cosmetics in 1990; however, it is still used in candies, drinks, and other foods, NBC states. The dye is made from petroleum.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which petitioned the FDA to ban the dye in 2022, commended the decision.
“At long last, the FDA is ending the regulatory paradox of Red 3 being illegal for use in lipstick, but perfectly legal to feed to children in the form of candy,” CSPI President Dr. Peter Lurie said.
He later added, “It removes an unnecessary hazard from the American food supply, and we welcome that action, even though it should have occurred more than three decades ago.”
Australia, Japan, and countries in the European Union already ban or restrict Red No. 3.
