Life Kit - The science behind the FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced it is banning Red No. 3, a food dye additive in processed foods like sodas, sweets and snacks. Recently, it and other dyes were linked to negative behavioral issues in children, and decades ago, high levels of Red No. 3 were linked to cancer in rats. This episode, NPR science podcast Short Wave explains what we know about Red No. 3's harmful health effects and the other dyes that may replace it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from the Boston Globe's chart-topping podcast, Love Letters. In this season, host and advice columnist Meredith Goldstein explores a big question. Can people change? And if so, how? Follow Love Letters from the Boston Globe wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to Life Kit from NPR. Hey everybody, it's Mary El. When you see desserts or candy or medications that are bright cherry red, they often contain some sort of synthetic food dye.

One of those dyes, red dye number three, has been found to cause cancer in rats, and the Food and Drug Administration is now banning it in food and ingested drugs. Our friends at NPR's Science podcast, Shortwave, dove into the science behind the ban and talked about other food dyes too, like Red 40. So we've got that episode for you today. I'll turn it over to Shortwave co-host, Emily Kwong. Hey, Shortwavers, Emily Kwong here

with the lovely Maria Godoy, senior editor and correspondent with the NPR science desk. Hey Maria Hey, Emily. You are here to walk me through an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration. That's like a pretty big deal Yeah, so they announced that they're banning the food dye red number three or in FDA terms. That's revoking authorization Very official. Um red dye number three, course, is a very widely used food dye. It's been authorized for decades. For half a century, actually, and it's in thousands of products. It's a petroleum-based dye that's in everything from candy to all sorts of snack foods, and so does too, because it gives products this very bright cherry red color. And in 2002, a petition

was filed with the FDA to ban the dye. So the FDA has been reviewing the petition and the evidence ever since in an effort to comply with a provision from a 1958 law known as the Delaney Clause. What is the Delaney Clause? So it's part of a series of laws that were passed following hearings in the early 1950s by Representative James Delaney. This one targets food additives. And it says specifically, no food additive can be authorized if it's been found to cause cancer. So today on the show, red dye number three.

What the research shows about its link to cancer, what other dyes you should be aware of, and what parents should know before letting their kids eat artificially colored food. I'm Emily Kwong. And I'm Maria Gadoy. And you're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. This message comes from Wyse, the app for doing things in other currencies, sending or spending money abroad. Hidden fees may be taking a cut.

With Wyse, you can convert between up to 40 currencies at the mid-market exchange rate. Visit wyse.com, TNCs apply. This message comes from NPR sponsor, Subaru. This season, Subaru and its retailers are partnering with Operation Warm, visiting homeless shelters and support agencies to provide more than 130,000 children

with brand new necessities like coats, shoes, and socks. This initiative is part of the Subaru Love Promise commitment to improving lives in the communities where they live and work. Just one of the reasons why Subaru is more than a car company. To learn more, visit Subaru.com slash help. This message comes from Monday.com. Work management platforms.

Red tape, endless adoption time, IT bottlenecks. And after all that, nobody really uses them. But what if you didn't hate your work platform? What if you actually loved it? Monday.com work management platform is different. You can make any changes you want and adapt it to your needs in an instant. No admin middlemen. That's why people actually love using it. Monday.com the first work platform you'll love to use.

There's a lot going on right now mounting economic inequality threats to democracy environmental disaster the sour stench of chaos in the air. I'm Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC's On the Media. Want to understand the reasons and the meanings of the narratives that led us here and maybe how to head them off at the pass? That's On the Media's specialty. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, Maria, tell me about this petition. What did it ask for? Well, so this petition requested the FDA look into whether the Delaney Clause applied to red dye number three. And it included two studies that showed male lab rats exposed

to very high levels of the food coloring developed cancer. Just male lab rats? Yeah, because historically scientists just used male rats in many experiments because they thought female hormone cycles would skew the results. There's actually been an effort to change that. Interesting. Okay. So red dye number three in high doses causes cancer in rats, but we've known about that for decades, right? Right. So back in 1990, the FDA banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in cosmetics and medicated ointments and lotions, but the agency concluded it was safe for humans in the amounts used in food.

It basically argued that humans aren't going to be eating Red Dye No. 3 in amounts large enough to cause cancer. The FDA says it has evaluated the safety of Red Number 3 multiple times since its original approval for use in food in 1969, but other countries have come to different conclusions. So the dye is banned or severely restricted in many places, Australia, Japan, and many European Union countries too. And in 2023, California became the first US state to ban red number three, although that ban doesn't take effect until 2027.

This is quite the saga. Okay, so this is the decades long journey of red dye number three. Why has it taken so long for the FDA to act in this direction? I mean, that's what a lot of people want to know. So consumer groups have welcomed this move by the FDA, but honestly they're pretty upset that it took this long considering the evidence linking the dye to cancer in rats

has been around for 30 years. Dr. Peter Lurie is the executive director of the Center for Science and the Public Interest, and you know that's the group that brought the petition, and he's been nudging the FDA for years to act. It feels great to see this finally take place, but the law is absolutely clear. Any additive that causes cancer in humans or animals is not supposed to be in the food supply, but somehow, FDA has tolerated this, even after admitting that it caused cancer over three decades ago. Yeah, he sounds frustrated. Okay, well, how prevalent is Red Dye 3 in food right now? It's in a lot of foods. Now, I should note that manufacturers are constantly reformulating

their products, but there's a list of more than 3,000 packaged foods and drinks that contain Red 3. It's compiled by the Environmental Working Group, and it includes everything from fruit cocktail to flavored milk, cake mixes to candy. And you know, consumer groups' worries go beyond both red number 3 and its link to cancer. They're also worried about eight other synthetic food dyes in the food supply. They come in different colors like red 40, yellow 5. And there's evidence linking all these dyes to behavioral issues in kids. Oh really?

What kinds of issues? Well, studies suggest food dyes can make some children and adolescents hyperactive, irritable, inattentive or moody. Dr. Mark Miller was the lead author of a 2022 paper that reviewed the existing evidence in animals and humans. Here's what he told NPR back in 2023. I think the evidence is compelling from those human studies that children's consumption of synthetic food dyes can contribute to increases in symptoms like inattention hyperactivity

in some children. So Mark was part of a team of scientists with California's Environmental Protection Agency that reviewed the body of evidence on synthetic dyes in foods. And out of more than 25 studies, more than half of those identified an association between artificial food coloring consumption and these symptoms in children. And you know, in addition to banning red number 3, last year California passed a second law banning a group of six other synthetic food dyes in school meals, including blue one, green three, red 40, yellow six, a whole rainbow of synthetic food dyes. A lot. Okay, so why isn't the FDA looking then at these other synthetic food dyes?

Yeah, well, there are advocacy groups that want the FDA to go further. Here's Peter again with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. We're also trying to get warning labels on other dyes that have been associated with ADHD-like symptoms in children. And you know, this is also a health disparities issue because research suggests that low-income communities are exposed to a lot more synthetic food dyes. Yeah, can you tell me more about that? Like, why? The short answer is that these dyes are more common and cheaper foods. So we're talking ultra processed foods that are designed to be shelf stable.

Think sugary snacks and drinks that are bright and colorful. And so they appeal to kids. And there's evidence that people experiencing food insecurity eat more of this stuff because it's what's available and affordable. OK, so now that the FDA has banned red number three, how soon will it be gone? Will these products just like disappear off the shelf overnight? So now that the FDA has banned red number three, how soon will it be gone? Will these products just disappear off the shelf overnight? No, not at all. So food manufacturers have until January 2027 to eliminate red dye number three from their

products, but some manufacturers could reformulate more quickly because companies have known that an FDA ban was a possibility for a while now. And of course, California has already banned several of these food dyes, and often when California acts on an issue, it's a big enough state that it prompts manufacturers to change their products to comply just across the board. And what are some of those manufacturers replacing it with?

Like what are the alternatives to red dye number three? Yeah, so consumer groups worry that some manufacturers may just replace red number three with red 40. And in fact, some food manufacturers have done that. And red 40, like other synthetic food dyes, has been linked to behavior issues in kids. While it's not banned in Europe, its use is more restricted. So food sold in the EU that contained red 40 and other dyes have to carry a health

warning that says they may quote have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. But there are natural food colorings from compounds found in fruits and vegetables. Turmeric and beetroot are some common options. You can get green colors from chlorophyll, which is that green pigment found in plant stems and leaves. And you And there is precedent for this kind of change. So when Kraft Foods decided to take synthetic food dyes out of its mac and cheese products about a decade ago, it replaced them with colors from spices like paprika and turmeric.

I didn't know that. Yes, much more tasty than petroleum based dyes. And slightly less bright too. This is true, this is true. But in the meantime, I mean, soda, candy, these are all things kids like. So while this two-year transition is underway, what should parents do?

What should they feed their kids? I think the advice is fundamentally the same when it comes to eating, no matter what we're talking about, which is focus on feeding your kids plant-based foods, fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, you know, the things we should all be eating for our health, grownups too. If you're concerned about synthetic food dyes, check the label. You know, by law, these synthetic food dyes have to be listed on the ingredient label. So just when you're shopping for packaged foods, make sure that they don't have them if you want

to avoid them. And then also just try to limit ultra-processed foods, which, you know, are often high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat, and low in fiber, which means they're not great for you anyway. But I'm a parent of two kids, I know what's out there, I know what they like to eat. And so if your kid eats a bright red cupcake at a friend's birthday party, definitely don't panic. Just focus on keeping their overall pattern of eating healthy. The occasional bright orange cheesy puff isn't going to kill them. Although it might stain their teeth for a while.

Yeah, or their fingers and cause cleanup for you. It's a danger to your couch, right? Maria Godoy, thank you so much for sharing this reporting with us. Oh, my pleasure, Chica. Hey, you listening to ShoreWave, thank you, by the way, for listening and make sure you never miss a new episode by following us on whichever podcasting platform you're listening to ShoreWave. Thank you, by the way, for listening and make sure you never miss a new episode by following us on whichever podcasting platform you're listening to. And if you have a science question, send it to us at shorewave at npr.org.

This episode was produced by Hannah Chin. It was edited by Jane Greenhall and Burleigh McCoy. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Quacey Lee was the audio engineer. Beth Donovan is our senior director and Colin Campbell is our senior vice president of podcasting strategy. I'm Emily Kwong. Thank you for listening to Shortwave from NPR. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial. In life, you plan for many important things like weddings, retirement, and your children's education.

A celebration of life is really no different. Planning and paying for your celebration of life in advance protects your loved ones and gives you the peace of mind you deserve. It's truly one of the best gifts you can give your family. Dignity Memorial will help you take care of every detail with professionalism and compassion. For additional information, visit DignityMemorial.com. Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all, on the web

at theschmidt.org. This message comes from Wse, the app for doing things in other currencies. Sending or spending money abroad, hidden fees may be taking a cut. With Wyse, you can convert between up to 40 currencies at the mid-market exchange rate. Visit Wyse.com. TNCs apply.