For decades, Red Dye 3 and other artificial food colorings have been used to give foods a bright red shade. However, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) announced that any use of the dye is now banned after new studies showed links to cancer in rats.
A Red-Letter Day
“It has been known to cause cancer in animals. We tried to ban it in the 90’s, and they did ban it from cosmetics, like makeup. But for some reason, they allowed it to stay in food,” said AV Culinary Teacher Julie Ford.
In the 1980s, the FDA discovered that Red Dye No.3 was a carcinogen in rats, promptly banning it in cosmetics and skincare. However, the dye was still a cheap and easily accessible artificial food dye commonly used in the culinary world.
“It’s a cheap way to get their food the color they want, and it stays that color rather than using a more expensive natural dye,” said Ford.
Concerns and Regulations
Although there are limited studies to prove this, another concern was the possible behavioral issues from consuming this red dye, especially in hypersensitive children.
“There are links to hormonal changes from food dye, and Red Dye No.3 [is] supposed to be the worst… All of them can cause hyperactivity in kids, especially with ADHD, and make it even worse for kids who already suffer from it,” said AV Health Teacher Jamie Turner.
While the FDA has just recently banned RD3, it has already been prohibited in regulated environments for some time. Government regulations in certain areas take stricter approaches compared to broader health policies.
“School food is very regulated in the aspect where it is kept under strict limitations, while more brands in shops have more dye. Parents have the freedom to buy the food they want, against no rules,” said AV Health Teacher Julie Foley.
Think Before You Eat
Common practices to avoid such chemicals in foods are to do research and read the labels. All information about a food item is made to be printed on the label, allowing transparency to customers.
“We teach in health the importance of knowing how to read a food label. It’s unreasonable to think you’re never going to have junk food, because of course you are. But you’re at least making an educated decision before you eat something,” said Turner.
Another solution is to use natural alternatives for food coloring. The major issue, however, is the availability and price of natural alternatives, as they tend to be scarcer and costlier.
“The easiest one to dye anything red would be beets. It stains, it’s a great colorance, and it does produce a really nice vibrant red. It’s just more expensive and not as easily accessible as the chemically produced food dyes,” said Ford.
