Goodbye Red Dye No. 3

After years of complaints from consumer and food advocacy groups, the synthetic dye Red No. 3 has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Used to give processed food and popular drinks their red color, it has been linked to cancer in animals and behavioral health issues in children. Red No. 3 can be found in cereal, candy, strawberry-flavored products, pastries, beverages, dietary supplements, cough syrups and thousands more products sold to consumers every day.

First introduced and approved for use in food in 1907, Red No. 3 is made from petroleum and is also known as erythrosine. It’s most often linked to thyroid cancer and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The FDA banned Red No. 3 for use in lipstick and the cosmetics industry in 1990 under the Delaney Clause which banned the use of food additives that are found to cause or induce cancer in humans or animals. Until the new ban, it was still allowed to be ingested.

Red Dye No. 3 is a common ingredient in various foods, drinks and medicines. Items that often contain the dye include:

Candies

• Pez Candy Assorted Fruit
• Dubble Bubble Original Twist Bubble Gum
• Brach's Candy Corn
• Jelly Belly candies
• Trolli Sour Crunchy Crawlers

Baked Goods and Snacks

• Entenmann's Little Bites Party Cake Mini Muffins
• Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot
• Toaster pastries
• Cookies with red icing or decorations

Dairy and Frozen Desserts

• Strawberry-flavored milk
• Certain ice cream flavors and frozen yogurt
• Ice pops and frozen fruit bars

Fruit Products

• Maraschino cherries
• Some fruit cocktails

Beverages

• Yoo-hoo Strawberry Drink
• Certain sodas and fruit-flavored drinks

Medications and Supplements

• Some cough syrups
• Gummy vitamins
• PediaSure Grow & Gain Kids' Ready-to-Drink Strawberry Shake

This is a huge step and a win for consumers across the U.S. Some U.S. food manufacturers have already reformulated their products and removed Red No. 3, but the FDA has ruled that the other manufacturers have until January 15, 2027, to remove the dye from their products, while makers of ingested drugs have an extra year.