The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially banned the red dye – called Red 3 or erythrosine – from foods, dietary supplements and ingested medications, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Food manufacturers have until January 2027 to remove the dye from their products, while drugmakers have until January 2028 to do so, AP said.

All food imported into the United States from other countries is also subject to the new regulation.

RED FOOD COLOR COULD SOON BE BANNED AS FDA EVALUATES PETITION

“The FDA is taking action to authorize the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in foods and ingested drugs,” Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said in a statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially banned the red dye – called Red 3 or erythrosine – from foods, dietary supplements and ingested medications (iStock)

“There is evidence that male laboratory rats exposed to high concentrations of FD&C Red No.3 had cancer,” he continued. “Importantly, the way FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.”

The synthetic dye, made from petroleum, is used as a color additive in foods and ingested medications to give them a “bright cherry red color,” according to an FDA online statement.

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The petition to ban the dye cited the Delaney Clause, which states that the agency cannot determine a color additive to be safe once it has been determined to be safe cause cancer in humans or animals.

Due to the potential cancer risk, the dye was removed from cosmetics almost 35 years ago.

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“This is a welcome but long overdue action by the FDA: eliminating the untenable double standard where Red 3 was banned in lipsticks but allowed in candy,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, director of the group Center for Science in the Public Interest, spearheaded the petition effort, as AP reports.

According to Food Scores, a food database compiled by the Environmental Working Group, nearly 3,000 foods contain red No. 3.

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The Petition to Remove Red #3 from Food, Dietary supplements and medications was presented by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and 23 other organizations and scientists.