US authorities announced on Wednesday that they have banned the use of a controversial red dye in food and medicine, which has been known for more than 30 years to cause cancer in animals.
This synthetic dye extracted from petroleum, called erythrosine, is also known as “E127” in Europe and “Red 3” in North America, and is used to give foods or drug capsules a light pink to red color.
To date, this substance is present in about 3,000 food products sold in the United States, according to the EWG Environmental Association database, including candy, canned fruits, and drinks.
The US Food and Drug Administration stated in an official document published on Wednesday that it “cancels the license for the use of Red 3 in food and ingested medicines.”
This dye was not originally allowed to be used in the United States in cosmetics and medicines applied directly to the skin since 1990 due to the risks of allergies and doubts about its carcinogenic nature, after studies showed that it causes cancer in rodents.
Elsewhere in the world, several countries, particularly within the European Union, impose strict restrictions on its use.
Banning this substance in the United States constitutes a major victory for consumer advocacy organizations. In 2022, a number of them submitted a request to the Food and Drug Administration to ban this additive in food products and oral medicines, a request to which the authorities decided to respond.