
In a move that feels like it’s been 30 years in the making—because it has—the Biden administration today officially banned Red Dye No. 3, a food coloring long linked to cancer. Translation: the days of cancer-causing candy (at least from this dye) are finally over.
Red 3, also charmingly known as FD&C Red No. 3, has been the go-to hue for everything from gummy bears to unnaturally neon maraschino cherries. According to the Environmental Working Group, it’s been hanging out in nearly 3,000 products. And while the FDA admitted back in 1990 that the dye causes thyroid cancer in lab rats and shouldn’t even be used in cosmetics, it somehow stayed in your food because—shocker—the food industry wasn’t eager to switch things up.
The FDA’s announcement on Wednesday comes after a 2022 petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups. They leaned on the “Delaney Clause,” a little-known regulation that bans food additives shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.
“These additives don’t add nutritional value, they don’t preserve the food—they’re just there to make food look pretty,” said Thomas Galligan, a CSPI scientist.
If you’re wondering why the U.S. dragged its feet on this while other countries sped past us, you’re not alone. The European Union banned Red 3 back in 1994, with places like Japan, China, and Australia following suit. CSPI says this move was embarrassingly overdue but hopes it signals more crackdowns on the other sketchy chemicals lurking in your snacks.
Sure, the dye’s days are finally numbered, but here’s the bigger question: how many other additives are still skating by? For now, let’s chalk this up as a long-overdue win for public health. But if the FDA could fast-track the rest of the cleanup, that’d be great—preferably in fewer than three decades.