What to Know About Food Dyes After Red No. 3 Was Banned
Additives bring bright hues to candy and cereal, but critics raise questions about their safety.
Processed foods, such as Pop-Tarts made with Red No. 40 food dye, are coming under scrutiny from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Health and Human Services Department.
Photographer: Lucia Buricelli/BloombergUS regulators announced a ban on Red No. 3 dye in the final days of the Biden administration after decades of concern about potential links to cancer. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a critic of food additives, now at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services, other ingredients and dyes are facing scrutiny.
Consumer advocates for years have pointed to studies that raised questions about the safety of other food colorings, and Kennedy has pledged to make cereal companies remove the dyes from their products in the US. In March, he began acting on that goal, telling executives of major food companies that he would take action if they failed to remove artificial coloring.