Why Has Red Dye 3 Been Banned?

What do fruit punch, bacon bits and rainbow sprinkles have in common? They’re all made with a synthetic food coloring called red dye 3 — at least, for now. But within the next two years, that will change.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) kicked off 2025 by issuing a ban on red dye 3, linking this common food dye to cancer in non-human studies. It’s also been linked to behavioral studies in some children.

But if studies haven’t yet shown that red dye 3 causes cancer in humans, then why would the FDA ban it? Great question. As the FDA itself explains, U.S. law “prohibits FDA authorization of a food additive or color additive if it has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals.”

Now, the FDA says red dye 3 must be removed from all foods by early 2027. It’s also an ingredient in some medications, and drug manufacturers now have until January 2028 to remove it from their products.

Though Americans may be shocked to learn about this ban, it’s nothing new for Europeans, where red dye 3 has been banned since 1994 (though it makes an exception for maraschino cherries). It’s also banned in Australia and New Zealand.

What is red dye 3?

Technically named erythrosine, red dye 3 is a synthetic (artificial) food dye that lends a bright red color to some types of ultra-processed foods and drinks. It appears on ingredient labels as:

• Red 3
• FD&C Red No. 3
• FD&C Red 3

Red dye 3 is different from red dye 40, a similar food dye that hasn’t been banned in the U.S. (except in California). It’s possible that food manufacturers will start using it in place of red dye 3 — but red dye 40 has been linked to many of the same health concerns as red dye 3, so it’s not necessarily a healthier alternative.

How red dye 3 may be harmful to your health

Like most other synthetic food dyes, red dye 3 is made from petroleum, which research has linked to cancer in non-human studies.

“So far, no human studies have shown this,” says registered dietitian Beth Czerwony, RD, LD. “But there is strong evidence that it has cancer-causing properties based on the petroleum that it's made out of.”

Red dye 3 has also been linked to possible behavioral issues in kids. Again, human studies are limited. But in 2021, California’s Environmental Protection Agency issued a health assessment saying that its review of available studies showed synthetic food dyes to be associated with “adverse neurobehavioral effects” in children who are sensitive to them. These effects include:

• Hyperactivity
• Inattentiveness
• Restlessness

And the FDA has had its eye on red dye 3 for a while. In 1990, it banned red dye 3 from use in cosmetics (like lipsticks) and medications that are applied to the skin (like ointments). But it took 35 more years to ban it from foods and other medications.

In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority reconsidered its ban on red dye 3, but for all of these reasons, the agency decided to keep the ban in place. Its reevaluation report says that humans shouldn’t have more than .1 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day).

If you’re not exactly sure what that statistic means, here’s the gist: Red dye 3 is only considered safe in very, very small amounts, if at all.

Foods that contain red dye 3

The U.S. Environmental Working Group, which keeps a database of ingredient concerns in various foods, lists more than 3,000 foods that are made with red dye 3. It includes some (but not all) brands and types of:

• Candy, like lollipops, candy corn, jelly beans and rainbow sprinkles
• Cake mixes
• Cereals
• Chewing gum
• Frosting
• Fruit juice and fruit cocktail
• Hot dogs and sausages
• Ice cream
• Imitation bacon bits and products that include them, like canned baked beans
• Maraschino cherries
• Imitation meats, like vegan bacon and sausages
• Sports drinks
• Strawberry-flavored milk, nutritional shakes and protein powders

It’s also found in some over-the-counter medications, including (but not limited to):

• Acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain reliever
• Cough syrups
• Fluoxetine, an antidepressant
• Gabapentin, which treats nerve pain and helps prevent seizures
• Gummy vitamins
• Omeprazole, which treats chronic acid reflux and related conditions
• Phentermine, a prescription appetite suppressant
• Vyvanse®, an ADHD medication

How will removing the dye affect food?

We can hear you asking: Will this ban change the way certain foods taste? The answer is no. Red dye 3 is brightly colored but tasteless, meaning that its only job is to make foods bright red.

“It’s used to make food prettier so consumers feel that what they’re buying is a bit more appetizing,” Czerwony clarifies, “but it’s not a flavor enhancer, and it has no nutritional value at all.”

The only thing that may change is the way foods look without it. Because red dye 3 lends food a bright, cherry-red hue, foods that remove it from their ingredient list may look duller and less vibrant.

But Czerwony cautions that when your food looks different, your brain may be tricked into thinking it tastes different, too.

“Red dye 3 makes some of our foods look more aesthetically pleasing, and when something looks good, we automatically think it's going to taste better,” she explains. “When the dye is removed and foods don’t look the same, consumers may believe they won’t taste the same, either — but that’s a false narrative.”

Alternatives to look for

Not all red-hued foods are made with red dye 3. But nearly all packaged and processed foods are made with some sort of dye, and many synthetic dyes have come under scrutiny for potentially negative health impacts. (California has banned six dyes from food served in public schools: blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6.)

That said, plenty of foods get their color from natural dyes, rather than synthetic ones. Here are some examples of dye alternatives that are considered safe:

• Anthocyanins, which come from blue and purple plant-based foods, give hue to blue corn chips and blue beverages.
• Beetroot powder comes from beets and can give foods a reddish tone.
• Chlorophyll, a plant-based pigment, is sometimes used to make mint- and lime-flavored foods look green.
• Spirulina is a type of algae used to color some green or blue foods.
• Turmeric, a popular warming spice, lends a yellow color to some types of mustards, pickles and cheese.

The best way to avoid red dye 3 and other synthetic dyes, Czerwony says, is to stick to eating whole, unprocessed foods whenever you can.

“We already know that ultra-processed foods aren’t good for our health,” she states. “As a dietitian, I'm always encouraging people to eat whole, identifiable foods — the less processed foods, the better.”

She continues with a final word on healthy eating habits: “If you’re able to make more of your foods from scratch, you’re going to end up not having those processed foods. And then, you’re going to inherently avoid red dye 3.”