A Dangerous Food Ingredient Now Banned in U.S.

The majority of Texans never give a second thought to what's in the food we eat.

We trust that the ingredients in the food we eat are safe for us. Maybe we should be paying more attention to the ingredients that food manufacturers are using in the products we consume.

There is a colorful food ingredient that has been banned in Texas

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of erythrosine, more commonly known as FD&C Red No. 3 or Red 3 on ingredient labels. Red dye #3 is a colorful food additive that is used in a variety of products that give a particular product an attractive bright red color. Those products include:

• food products
• candy
• dietary supplements
• medicine and cough syrup

Some of your favorite snacks just got the old heave-ho!

Because of red dye #3, many products will soon be discontinued or their manufacturing process will change and use a new color.

Why the ban on red dye #3?

After extensive research on lab rats, high levels of cancer were detected among the rats and researchers determined the cause was from red dye #3.

The study doesn't show the same effect in humans, but the FDA is mandated to alert manufacturers and the public about the potential health issue. Now food manufacturers have until January 2027 to discontinue the use of red dye #3, while medicinal use must come to an end by January 2028.

Other countries have already banned the use of red dye #3 - Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Look for these products to be changing their ingredients list soon and with that let's hope the taste of our favorite snack foods isn't changed.