Synthetic Red Dye Banned by US Deemed Safe by Health Canada

An ingredient list on Pez candy shows the listing of FD&C Red 3. Also known as Red Dye No. 3, it was recently banned in the United States but has been deemed safe by Health Canada. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Haven Daley/AP Photo

A synthetic red food dye banned this month from the U.S. food supply will continue to be allowed in Canada, where the federal health agency has determined that it does not present a health risk to the general public.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on Red Dye No. 3 on Jan. 15, allowing food and beverage manufacturers a two-year period to adjust their formulations. The move comes nearly 35 years after the petroleum-based red dye was banned from U.S. cosmetics due to potential cancer risks. Since then, it has also been linked to behavioural issues in children.

The United States is not alone in its ban on the dye, which is also known as FD&C Red No. 3 or erythrosine. Similar bans or restrictions have already been enacted in Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and Japan.

Health Canada told the Epoch Times it has reviewed the evaluation and determined that the levels of the red dye permitted in Canadian food items do not present a safety risk.

“If new scientific data becomes available demonstrating that FD&C Red No. 3 poses a human health risk as an ingredient in food or drugs, Health Canada will take action to mitigate that risk, including, if necessary, no longer permitting it to be used as a colouring agent in food and drugs,” a Health Canada spokesperson said in an email.

The red dye “has been permitted for use as a food colour in Canada and internationally for many years,” the spokesperson said, adding that the dye was re-evaluated in 2018 by the Joint United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives.

The study concluded that dietary exposure to Red No. 3 does not present a safety concern.

Health Canada said the main reason the United States banned the dye is because of an American legal provision known as the Delaney Clause. The clause requires any food additive found to cause cancer in animals be banned for human consumption.

Two studies showed cancer in laboratory male rats exposed to high levels of the dye “due to a rat-specific hormonal mechanism which does not exist in humans,” the spokesperson said.

“Studies in other animals and in humans did not show these effects, and claims that the use of this colour in food puts people’s health at risk are not supported by the available scientific evidence.”

The recent decision by the FDA was influenced by a petition submitted in 2022, in which the U.S.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups said the government should prohibit the dye’s use in food due to its association with cancer and its widespread presence in products intended for children.

The groups had argued that using Red. No. 3 purely for aesthetic purposes did not justify potential health risks associated with it.

“The primary purpose of food dyes is to make candy, drinks, and other processed foods more attractive,” CSPI President Dr. Peter G. Lurie said in a Jan. 15 press release. “When the function is purely aesthetic, why accept any cancer risk?”

Where Is Red No. 3 Found?

Like in the United States, Red No. 3 is used in a number of foods, drinks, and medicines sold in Canada. It is most commonly found in candy, snack cakes, baking mixes and toppings, frozen juice, jam, pickles and relishes, maraschino cherries, some strawberry flavoured milks, ice cream, canned fish, vegan meats, gummy vitamins, and cough syrup.

Canada’s List of Permitted Food Colours specifies the types of foods in which dyes can be used, along with the maximum allowable levels for those foods.

When Red No. 3 is used as a food colour, it must meet food-grade specifications in accordance with the country’s food and drug regulations, Health Canada said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.