Astoundingly, food dye consumption has increased over 500 percent within the last 50 years (Bell, 2023). Many of the foods containing these dyes are consumed by children.

On January 15, 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a constituent update prohibiting commercial food production and ingested drug manufacturing companies in the US from using Red No. 3. Food manufacturers have until January 15, 2027, to be free of this dye, and drug companies must have removed it by January 18, 2028 (FDA, 2025a; Keegan, 2025).

According to Contemporary Pediatrics, some studies found an “increased association between Red Dye No. 3 consumption and an increase or exacerbation of ADHD symptoms in children.” Jamie Alan, an associate professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, said the majority of studies maintain a strong statistical reciprocity (Aitken & Mesa, 2025).

Some studies in the 1990s also pointed to evidence that very high doses of Red No. 3 had been linked to cancer in male lab rats. Although definitive proof of the dye causing cancer in humans or other animals has not been established (Keegan, 2025; Gunther, 2025), a 2022 petition quoting the Delaney Clause, a regulation in the 1960 federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that prohibits the use of carcinogenic additives in foods for humans or animals (FDA, 2025a) prompted the ban announced in January.

The Differences Between the Two Primary Synthetic Red Dyes

Synthetic pigments are created through chemical processing. Two types of these are:

• Dyes. Water soluble and easily dissolvable in food and drinks
• Lakes. Water insoluble dyes usually mixed with a binding agent and easily combined with dry products such as candies and baked goods (Lynch, 2025).

Both Red 3 and Red 40 are made from petroleum — as are most synthetic food dyes (Keegan, 2025). Red 3 is made from erythrosine, a petroleum derivative of the chemical iodine-based compound fluorone (Martin, 2017). Originally conceived at the University of Basel in Switzerland by Swiss chemist Karl Kussmaul in 1876, Red 3 was first used as a silk, wool, and textile dye (McCurdy). Other nonfood applications for Red 3 include photographic film development and printing ink.

While they have things in common, Red 40 (also known as Allura Red) was first FDA registered in the 1970s and chemically differs from Red 3. Allura Red is typically mixed with aluminum to create Red 40 Lake for some food product applications (Metz, 2025).

Red 40 has been certified by the FDA as a safe-to-consume color additive and is commonly found in snack foods and beverages, such as chips, candy, and sports drinks, creating an appealing dark red hue (Miller, 2025). Many food companies have turned to Red 40 due to the Red 3 ban.

Natural Dyes: Healthier Choices Than Red Artificial Food Coloring

Scientists are investigating new methods of coloring that enhance flavor alongside hue. For example, utilizing colorants derived from spices not only provides color, but also adds nutritional benefits and enriches taste (Lynch, 2025). Some natural food colorings include:

Annatto/onoto/roucou (also known as achiote). A natural food coloring and flavoring from the achiote tree, this can be found in Latin, Filipino, and Caribbean foods and demonstrates a nutty, peppery flavor (Raman, 2019).

• Fresh foods. Pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cocoa, tea, and sweet potato, among others (Florida Crystals, n.d.).
• Beet juice. A natural deep red colorant derived from the pigment betanin (Gashler, 2018).
• Carrots. Orange pigments, from an extraction process.
• Turmeric. Provides a vibrant yellow color. This plant originated in Southeast Asia (Prasad & Aggarwal, 2011).
• Spirulina. A blue-green algae made by photosynthesis found in marine and fresh water (Karkos et al., 2010).

Check your food supply to see if you have this list of foods typically containing Red Dye 3:

• Baby foods
• Baked goods
• Baking decorations
• Betty Crocker’s Fruit by the Foot
• Cookies
• Cough syrups
• Frostings and icings
• Frozen dairy desserts
• Frozen fruit bars
• Fruit cocktail
• Fruit-flavored drinks
• Gummy vitamins
• Hard candy
• Jellies and preserves, such as cherry, raspberry, and strawberry
• Ice cream and frozen yogurt
• Ice pops
• Maraschino cherries
• Meal-replacement drinks and bars
• Popsicles
• Sausage casings
• Soft candy and gummies
• Soft drinks
• Strawberry-flavored milk
• Strawberry syrup
• Toaster pastries
• Yoo-hoo Strawberry Drink (Mesa, 2025)

What’s Up Next

The FDA has recently initiated a timeline and national standard requiring the food industry to change food dyes from petrochemical based to natural alternatives. The other dyes to be eliminated from the US food industry by the end of 2026 include:

• Citrus Red
• Orange B
• FD&C Green No. 3
• FD&C Red No. 40
• FD&C Yellow No. 5
• FD&C Blue No. 1
• FD&C Blue No. 2

In addition, four new natural color additives are being introduced. The FDA is partnering with the National Institutes of Health in researching the effect of food additives on children’s neurological and behavioral health and development. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, are working together toward this nutritional advancement (FDA, 2025b).

References

Aitken, P. & Mesa, J. (2025, January 16). What are the side effects of Red Dye No. 3? FDA bans food, drink dye. Newsweek. newsweek.com/fda-bans-red-food-dye-side-effects-risks-list-2015727

Bell, B. (2023, July 17). Food dyes: Harmless or harmful? Healthline. healthline.com/nutrition/food-dyes

Florida Crystals. (n.d.) How to make natural food coloring. floridacrystals.com/tips/how-make-natural-food-coloring

Food & Drug Administration. (2025a, January 15). FDA to revoke authorization for use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs. fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugs

Food and Drug Administration. (2025b, April 22) HHS, FDA to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in nation’s food supply. fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-phase-out-petrolem-based-synthetic-dyes-nations-food-supply

Gashler, K. (2018, April 11). Coloring that can’t be beet: New food process replaces synthetic dyes. Cornell Chronicle. news.cornell.edu/stories/2018/04/coloring-cant-be-beet-new-food-process-replaces-synthetic-dyes

Gunther, A. (2025, January 28). Are food dyes bad for you?  Yale New Haven Health. ynhhs.org/articles/are-food-dyes-bad-for-you

Karkos, P., Leong, S., Karkos, C., Sivaji, N., & Assimakopoulos, D. (2010, October 19). Spirulina in clinical practice: Evidence-based human applications. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1093/ecam/nen058

Keegan, K. (2025, January 18). Is Red Dye No. 40 different than Red Dye No. 3? What to know after FDA ban. Good Housekeeping. goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a63461291/red-dye-3-vs-red-dye-40/

Lynch, M. (2025, February 3). Unveiling the mystery: What is food coloring made of? FoodDrinkTalk. fooddrinktalk.com/what-is-in-food-coloring-made-of

Martin, K. (2017, July 3). Seven unhealthy synthetic dyes and food colorings to avoid and why. Organic Lifestyle Magazine. organiclifestylemagazine.com/7-unhealthy-synthetic-dyes-and-food-colorings-to-avoid-and-why

Mesa, J. (2025, January 15). Full list of foods, drinks that contain red dye 3 after FDA bans additive. Newsweek. newsweek.com/list-red-dye-3-fda-food-drink-ban-2015450

Metz, E. (2025, January 17). Red Dye No. 3 vs Red Dye No. 40: What's the actual difference? Food Republic. foodrepublic.com/1764779/red-dye-3-vs-40

Miller, K. (2025, January 27). Is red dye 40 the same as red dye 3? What to know after FDA ban. Women’s Health. womenshealthmag.com/food/a63443789/red-dye-40-red-dye-3-foods/

Prasad, S. & Aggarwal, B. (2011). Turmeric, the Golden Spice: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Medicine. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.

Raman, R. (2019, September 10). What is annatto? Uses, benefits, and side effects. Healthline. healthline.com/nutrition/annatto

Kimberly Whiteside Truitt is a former food service manager at Camp Gilmont and Camp Zephyr and has served on Camping Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Committee. Kimberly was a presenter at the 2018, 2020, and 2023 North American Food Service and Maintenance Conferences.