US bans cancer-linked red dye No 3 in cereal, other foods

NEW YORK -- US health officials banned the artificial food coloring Red No 3, which has been linked to cancer and is currently in scores of products from candy to cold medicine, according to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) document posted online.

The dye will no longer be allowed in US food or ingested drugs starting Jan 15, 2027.

"Red No 3 is used in foods such as Brach's candy corn from Ferrara Candy Co., Betty Crocker sprinkles from General Mills Inc. and strawberry Ensure from Abbott Laboratories," said Bloomberg News on Wednesday about the move.

It is also found in drugs including Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s Vyvanse for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and store-brand heartburn pills from Costco Wholesale Corp. and Rite Aid Corp.

The move comes more than 30 years since the FDA prohibited the use of Red No 3 in cosmetics after studies found tumors linked to the dye in lab rats. Consumer and patient advocacy groups petitioned the agency in 2022 to revoke the use of the food coloring in American diets, added the report.