United States: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on the food dye Red 3 in January, which required firms to eliminate the substance from candies and cough syrup along with baked products and frozen desserts by specified deadlines.
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Laboratory research conducted by the FDA proved that the cancer-causing features of the red dye erythrosine existed in rats. The Federal regulations compel the FDA to eliminate food additives that show evidence of causing cancer in animal testing.
The Food and Drug Administration states that rats experience cancer development from Red 3 differently than humans do. Among the multiple synthetic color compounds that can be used in US food, Red 3 and eight other dyes are allowed for use, according to US News reporting.
About various artificial colors
As per Sensient Food Colors, a St. Louis-based supplier of food colors and flavorings, synthetic dyes are petroleum-based chemicals that are not produced naturally. However, the US News reported that they are widely used in foods to “enhance the visual appeal” of products.
Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 form the standard list of food color additives, among many others.
The food industry only utilizes two special coloring agents, Citrus Red 2 and Orange B.
Organizations under the FDA certify synthetic color additives and establish regulations for their administration.
All companies manufacturing ingested drugs such as cough syrup have a January 2028 deadline to eliminate the dye from their products.
Demands to ban the dye
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, together with other consumer advocates, pushed for Red 3 food bans because studies proved a link between the dye and rat cancers.
The cosmetics industry had been prohibited from using the dye for decades, although food and ingested medications were allowed.
Artificial colorants have established links with behavioral issues among children, which manifest as hyperactivity combined with impulsivity in children who have a predisposition toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
As per Dr. L. Eugene Arnold, an emeritus psychiatry professor at Ohio State University, who studied dyes and their effect on behavior, who now advises CHADD, a support group for people with ADHD, “Artificial colors are not the main cause of ADHD, but they may contribute significantly to some cases,” US News reported.
According to the FDA, its staff members completed a review process that assessed how color additives impact children’s behavior. Results from a recent AP-NORC poll show that approximately 67 percent of Americans want authorities to ban artificial food ingredients like dyes and excessive added sugar from processed foods.