Federal regulators could soon take steps to outlaw artificial red food dye amid concerns it may cause health issues.
Jim Jones, deputy commissioner of human foods for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said at a recent Senate health committee meeting that believes it’s time to re-evaluate the safety of the additive known as red 3.
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“With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we’re hopeful that in the next few weeks we’ll be acting on that petition,” said Jones, according to NBC News.
Red 3 is used in nearly 3,000 food products, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, including popular candies like Peeps, Nerds, SweeTarts, and more. And although the FDA has allowed Red 3 to be used in food, the agency has prohibited it from being used in cosmetics.
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The World Health Organization has analyzed a number of studies on erythrosine, which makes red 3, and concluded that “dietary exposures to erythrosine for all age groups do not present a health concern.” That is despite findings that the dye can increase thyroid cancer risk among some rats.
Red 3 is already banned in a handful of countries and in the state of California. Advocates, however, say red 3 and similar chemicals should be banned from food products nationwide.
