Red coloring No. 3 is banned, but what about other food colorings? : Blueprints

When the FDA announced a ban on Red No. 3 food coloring this week, the agency pointed to a law that says a food additive cannot be allowed if it is found to cause cancer. And research shows that red #3 can cause cancer in laboratory rats when exposed to high levels.

Food companies still have a few years to eliminate petroleum-based Red #3 from their products. And there are other synthetic food colors – in all kinds of different colors – that remain on the market.

Some evidence shows that these synthetic dyes can harm children’s behavior and mental health.

So how should parents manage this food supply? Here are some things to consider.

How do you know if red #3 is food?

If it’s bright cherry red, that’s your first clue that a product may contain Red No. 3 — but you need to check the ingredient label. The FDA requires food manufacturers to declare Red No. 3 and other synthetic colors on the ingredient label. Red No. 3 may be labeled as “FD&C Red No. 3” or “FD&C Red 3” or simply “Red 3”. As Red No. 3 is phased out, you may see Red No. 40 dye used as a replacement.

What are the health concerns associated with Red No. 3 and other food colorings?

The FDA ban was prompted by evidence that it caused cancer in laboratory rats at high doses, but there are also concerns that Red No. 3 and other synthetic food dyes could affect some children .

When California’s Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the body of research on synthetic dyes in 2021, it found evidence that dyes consumed in food can negatively impact children’s behavior. Of approximately 25 studies, more than half identified a positive association between consumption of artificial food coloring and behavioral outcomes such as inattention and hyperactivity.

How prevalent is the use of Red No. 3 in foods?

It’s in a lot of foods. The Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of more than 3,000 consumer products containing Red No. 3, which includes everything from fruit cocktails to flavored milk, cake mixes to candy.

Manufacturers often reformulate their products, which is why the group says it updates the list regularly. Label information is provided by Label INSIGHT, a company that compiles ingredient details for foods sold in U.S. supermarkets.

How soon will it disappear from the food supply?

Food manufacturers have until January 2027 to eliminate red #3 from their products. But some manufacturers could reformulate more quickly.

Given restrictions in many parts of the world and new laws in California that aim to restrict the use of Red No. 3 and other synthetic food colors, some companies have already explored alternatives.

But consumer groups worry that some food companies will simply replace Red No. 3 with Red No. 40, which has also been linked to behavioral problems in children.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest — which filed the petition to ban Red No. 3 — wants the FDA to require warning labels on products containing other synthetic food colors.

Some companies are working to create natural food colors from compounds found in plants like beets or spirulina, a blue-green algae. When Kraft Foods decided to remove synthetic food colors from its mac and cheese products a decade ago, they replaced them with colors from spices such as paprika and turmeric.

Red No. 3 has also been used in medications such as acetaminophen. Drugmakers will have until January 2028 to remove the dye from their products.

What other food colors have caused concern?

Last year, after an exhaustive review of existing evidence linking synthetic dyes to neurobehavioral problems in children, California passed a second law. It banned six other synthetic food colors – including blue No. 1, green No. 3 and red No. 40 – in meals served in public schools.

Eugene Arnold, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Ohio State University, says the evidence for the existence of some dyes is stronger than others. For example, Yellow No. 5, also known as tartrazine, has been linked to irritability, agitation, and depression in some children. Evidence from animal studies has indicated that several synthetic food colors may affect memory and learning.

And although they are not banned, European Union countries require foods containing red No. 40 and certain other synthetic colors to carry a health warning stating that they may “have an adverse effect on activity and the attention of children.

Should parents avoid all synthetic colors in their children’s foods?

If your child comes home from a birthday party with bright blue icing around their mouth, “don’t panic,” says Dr. Jennifer Woo Baidel, an associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford University who also serves on the committee of Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

She advises parents to limit their children’s consumption of foods containing synthetic dyes as much as possible, “but a small amount is probably not going to make or break things,” she says. Just do it occasionally and not routinely.

Instead, she says, focus on your kids’ overall eating habits. The majority of their diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. And avoid drinks with added sugars. This is just good nutritional advice in general.

Foods that contain synthetic colors are also often high in sugar, such as ultra-processed sugary drinks, juices, snacks and candy. These are foods that the American Academy of Pediatrics has long advised parents to limit from children’s diets for other reasons as well.

But the occasional bursts of bright orange cheese aren’t alarming.

This story was edited by Jane Greenhalgh