From peppermint candy to maraschino cherries, more than 9,000 foods sold in the United States contain an artificial coloring called Red Dye No. 3. High doses of this synthetic, or lab-made, chemical can cause cancer in rats. That’s why, this past January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned Red No. 3 from all foods. Companies must stop using the chemical by 2027.
Red No. 3 isn’t the only coloring on the chopping block. In April, the government announced plans to phase out the eight remaining synthetic dyes. When it comes to food, the “fewer ingredients, the better,” says Lorne Hofseth, a pharmacist from the University of South Carolina who studies how artificial dyes affect human health.