What Is Red Dye No. 3 and Is It Dangerous? <\/span> <\/h2>\n\nRed dye No. 3 is actually a pink dye, Wegman explained, that can go by a number of names, including erythrosine and the FDA\u2019s term FD&C Red #3. The dye is synthetic, or man-made, and is derived from petroleum or coal.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nRed dye No. 3 is one of the least commonly used synthetic food dyes, Wegman said\u2014people may be much more familiar with red dye No. 40, which is among the most common.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nDespite this, there are about 2,900 products that contain red dye No. 3, according to the Environmental Working Group.<\/span> In addition to lavender and pink Peeps, some brands of candy corn, jelly beans, and other candies are on the list, as are frosting, highly-processed fruit, and more.\n<\/p>\n
\nRed dye No. 3 is not a new chemical, however. The lack of consensus about its safety may actually stem back three decades.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe dye was banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1990 in response to a 1988 study which found that red dye No. 3 caused thyroid tumors in rats.<\/span><\/span> The ban\u2014still in effect today\u2014 only applies to red dye No. 3 usage in cosmetics, externally applied drugs, and in some pigment forms, however.\n<\/p>\n
\nAt the time, the agency reiterated that the risk of getting cancer from red dye No. 3 was about 1 in 100,000, as reported by the New York Times<\/em>. The FDA also told the paper that \u201cit is in the process of extending the ban to cover\u201d food and drugs, too.<\/span> That did not happen, which has been a point of argument for advocates hoping to ban red dye No. 3.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cRed Dye No. 3 has been banned by the FDA from use in cosmetics since 1990, but inexplicably is still allowed in food,\u201d Michael Hansen, PhD, senior staff scientist for Consumer Reports<\/em>, in a press release. \u201cIt\u2019s time for the FDA to protect public health by getting Red Dye 3 out of our food.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThis discrepancy between cosmetics and food probably has to do with the fact that there hasn\u2019t been enough concrete evidence for the FDA to extend the ban, Wegman explained.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe cancer in rats study which prompted the cosmetics ban in 1990 doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that red dye No. 3 is a carcinogen for humans, she added. It\u2019s also unclear if there\u2019s a specific amount that humans would need to consume to see a similar cancer risk, and it\u2019s possible that red dye No. 3 isn\u2019t absorbed by the human body in the same way that it was in the rats\u2019.\n<\/p>\n
\nA recently published review of studies found that data \u201csupports a relationship between food dye exposure and adverse behavioral outcomes in children, both with and without pre-existing behavioral disorders.\u201d<\/span> Wegman said additional studies are needed to flesh out this connection a bit more.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe biggest potential is there might be some people who are sensitive to [red dye No. 3],\u201d she said. \u201cThere are people who are sensitive to several different compounds found in food\u2014synthetic or naturally-occurring. So it\u2019s one of those [where] you may need to be cautious.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nIn the face of concerns about red dye No. 3\u2019s safety, there are a number of advocates on the opposite side of the aisle who believe that misgivings about the dye are unfounded.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cColors are safely used in a wide variety of consumer products, are among the most widely studied food ingredients, and are subject to strict global regulatory requirements,\u201d Sarah Codrea, executive director of International Association of Color Manufacturers, told Health <\/em>in a statement. The IACM organization promotes the interests of the color additives industry.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe FDA and international regulatory bodies have all concluded that FDA-certified colors, including FD&C Red No. 3, are safe for children,\u201d Codrea said.\n<\/p>\n
18 Weird Ingredients Found in Food<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span> <\/p>\n
Making the Best Possible Choices When It Comes to Red Dye No. 3 <\/span> <\/h2>\n\nSome, like California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who\u2019s sponsoring the bill to ban red dye No. 3, seem to fall into the camp that the potential risks outweigh any benefits of chemical dyes, especially when there are alternatives.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe idea here is for these companies to make minor modifications to their recipes so that these products don\u2019t include dangerous and toxic chemicals,\u201d he told Health <\/em>in a statement. <\/em>\u201cSkittles and many other brands have already made changes to their recipes in the EU, the UK, and other nations where these chemicals are banned. We simply want them to do the same thing in the US.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s also true that many of the products that have red dye No. 3 are linked to poorer health outcomes because they contain high amounts of added sugar.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhen you\u2019re eating foods that possibly contain the red dye 3, they are going to be either candy or highly-processed foods to begin with,\u201d Wegman said. \u201cSo if you can reduce your intake of highly-processed foods, that\u2019s always a positive for health.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nWhile the FDA reviews the petition to ban red dye No. 3 and evidence into whether the product should be considered harmful to the public, there are things people can do to cut the dye out of their diets of their own accord, especially if they\u2019re worried about its effect on their children.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe FDA requires all color additives to be listed on product labels so that they can be identified by consumers,\u201d an FDA spokesperson told Health<\/em>. \u201cConsumers who wish to limit the amount of color additives in their diets may check the food ingredient list on labels."\n<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s worth noting that not all consumers may not be able to cut out red dye No. 3, especially if they rely on these more highly-processed foods due to cost, access, or other reasons.\n<\/p>\n
\nBut as is the case with most things, Wegman said that moderation may be a good strategy.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPeople can have treats. It\u2019s just how much do you eat at one time and how often?\u201d Wegman said. \u201cA daily consumption of an Easter basket full of candy, versus having a few pieces here and there, is very different on how all of the ingredients are going to affect your body.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a press release published Monday, Consumer Reports warned customers that some Peeps marshmallow chicks and bunnies contain red dye No. 3, calling the dye a \u201cknown carcinogen.\u201d Additionally, California lawmakers are looking into possibly banning red dye No. 3 and other substances in food, including titanium dioxide. The dye has been linked to cancer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,789],"tags":[116,790],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}