{"id":3786,"date":"2023-05-10T09:44:06","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T14:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pirg.org\/wisconsin\/?post_type=article&p=3786"},"modified":"2023-10-25T12:10:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T17:10:20","slug":"why-is-red-dye-3-still-being-used-in-our-food","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/pirg.org\/wisconsin\/articles\/why-is-red-dye-3-still-being-used-in-our-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Red Dye #3 still being used in our food?"},"featured_media":47511,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[176],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"person_tax":[],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[145,140],"class_list":["post-3786","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[140,145],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":false,"event_type":false,"campaigns":176,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":140}},"featured_image":47511,"caption_override":"","excerpt":"Thirty years after Red Dye #3 was banned from use in cosmetics, this toxic additive is still being used to, for example, make freeze pops a brighter red. That's nuts.","updated_on":"20231025","sidebar_action":[3783],"hide_hero_image":false,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":null},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will miss another deadline to get Red Dye #3 out of our food \u2014 even though we've known for decades the chemical is linked to cancer<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIf we want our decision-makers to address this serious health threat, we need to tell them to act now.\r\n

What is Red Dye 3?<\/b><\/h3>\r\nRed Dye #3, also called <\/span>erythrosine<\/span><\/a>, is a synthetic coloring made from petroleum that\u2019s used to give food its color.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn the U.S. it has been in use to make packaged snacks and drinks bright pink or cherry red since 1907.<\/span>\r\n

What products have Red Dye 3?<\/b><\/h3>\r\nYou might spot \u201cred 3\u201d in the ingredient list of many packaged snacks in your pantry. The additive is used in brightly-colored drinks and foods of all sorts, from sodas and juices to yogurts and frozen treats.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIn 2021 alone, the food and drug industries used more than <\/span>200,000 pounds<\/span><\/a> of Red Dye #3. Nearly 3,000 brand-name food products contain the additive \u2014 from Halloween candy and various other fruit-flavored treats to <\/span>PediaSure\u2019s<\/span><\/a> Grow & Gain Kids\u2019 Ready-to-Drink strawberry shake.<\/span>\r\n

Why is Red Dye 3 bad?<\/b><\/h3>\r\nRed 3 in our food is a problem because there\u2019s a <\/span>known link<\/span><\/a> between Red 3 and cancer in lab animal tests.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOther studies also point to the possibility of a link between synthetic food dyes and impacts on <\/span>memory and learning<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\r\n

Is Red Dye 3 banned?<\/b><\/h3>\r\nSome uses of Red 3 are banned, but not others.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe FDA already banned Red 3 for use in externally applied drugs and cosmetics, all the way <\/span>back in 1990<\/span><\/a> \u2014 but using it in food is still fair game in most of the U.S.<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo why the decades-long delay in getting this toxic chemical out of our food products? <\/span>Lobbying<\/span><\/a> by industry trade groups is a major factor \u2014 but we can still win protections for our families against Red Dye #3 by making sure the FDA hears the public\u2019s voice.<\/span>\r\n

The FDA must act on Red 3<\/b><\/h3>\r\nSince <\/span>1960<\/span><\/a>, our nation\u2019s food laws have <\/span>required<\/span><\/a> the FDA to not approve, or remove from approval, any food additives that cause cancer in humans or animals.<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s long past time for the FDA to do its job and get toxic Red 3 out of our food \u2014 and your voice will be crucial to making sure the FDA hears this call loud and clear.<\/span>\r\n\r\nTell the FDA: Remove Red 3 from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines.<\/b>","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_large_image","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_large_image":{"width":"wide","image":"","caption_override":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"","":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_featured_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_featured_action":{"action":[3783],"action_query_string":""}}]},"yoast_head":"\nWhy is Red Dye #3 still being used in our food?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Thirty years after Red Dye #3 was banned from use in cosmetics, this toxic additive is still being used to, for example, make freeze pops a brighter red. 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