Is Red 3 (Erythrosine) Banned?

Quick Answer: The FDA banned Red 3 in cosmetics and topical medications in 1990 due to evidence it causes thyroid cancer in rats. However, Red 3 remains legal in food and ingested drugs. In 2024, California passed legislation to ban Red 3 in food by 2027. The EU still allows it with warning labels.

Red 3 (erythrosine) is an artificial food dye used in maraschino cherries, candy, popsicles, frosting, and some medications. In 1990, the FDA acknowledged that Red 3 causes thyroid tumors in male rats and banned it in cosmetics and topically applied drugs — but controversially allowed it to remain in food. This inconsistency has been criticized for decades. In 2022, consumer advocacy groups petitioned the FDA to finally ban Red 3 in food. In 2024, California became the first state to ban Red 3 as part of the California Food Safety Act, effective 2027. The FDA issued a final revocation order in 2025, giving manufacturers until 2027 to reformulate. Red 3 is used in about 3,000 food products in the US.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What foods contain Red 3?

Maraschino cherries, Brach's candy hearts, Pez candy, some popsicles, cake frosting, and certain canned fruit contain Red 3.

Why was Red 3 in cosmetics banned but not food?

The FDA banned Red 3 in cosmetics in 1990 under the Delaney Clause but used a different regulatory framework to keep it legal in food — a decision widely criticized as inconsistent.

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📋 Cite This Data
APACheckIt AI. (2026). "Is Red 3 (Erythrosine) Banned? — CheckIt AI". Climaverse PBC. Retrieved from https://getcheck.it/answers/is-red-3-banned
MLA"Is Red 3 (Erythrosine) Banned? — CheckIt AI." CheckIt AI, Climaverse PBC, 2026-03-05. https://getcheck.it/answers/is-red-3-banned.
HTML Embed<a href="https://getcheck.it/answers/is-red-3-banned">Is Red 3 (Erythrosine) Banned? — CheckIt AI — CheckIt AI</a>
BibTeX@misc{checkit2026answersisred3banned, title = {Is Red 3 (Erythrosine) Banned? — CheckIt AI}, author = {CheckIt AI}, year = {2026}, publisher = {Climaverse PBC}, url = {https://getcheck.it/answers/is-red-3-banned}, note = {Retrieved 2026-03-05} }