The Food and Drug Administration announced this on Wednesday It prohibits the use of Red No. 3, a synthetic dye that gives foods and drinks their bright red cherry color but has been linked to cancer in animals.

The dye is still used in thousands of foods, including candy, cereal, cherries in fruit cocktails and strawberry-flavored milkshakes, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety advocacy group that has petitioned the agency to phase it out in 2022 use.

The FDA’s decision represents a victory for consumer advocacy groups and some U.S. lawmakers who have long pushed the FDA to revoke approval of the additive, citing ample evidence that its use in drinks, dietary supplements, cereals and candy causes cancer and can affect children’s behavior.

“The FDA is finally ending the regulatory paradox that using Red 3 in lipsticks is illegal, but feeding it to children in the form of candy is completely legal,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, President of the CSPI. The authority banned the additive in cosmetics in 1990.

Food manufacturers have until January 15, 2027 to reformulate their products. Companies that make ingested medications like dietary supplements get an extra year.

“The FDA cannot approve a food additive or color additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” Jim Jones, FDA deputy director for human foods, said in a statement. “There is evidence that male laboratory rats exposed to high concentrations of FD&C Red No. 3 developed cancer.”

What is Red Dye #3?

Red dye No. 3, approved for use in food in 1907, is made from petroleum.

The FDA’s attempt to ban the dye has been in the works for decades. The agency first became aware that the additive was potentially carcinogenic after a study in the 1980s that found tumors in male rats exposed to it at high doses.

“It removes an unnecessary threat to the American food supply, and we applaud this action, even though it should have been done more than three decades ago,” Lurie said.

Red No. 3 is already banned or severely restricted in locations outside the United States, including Australia, Japan, and European Union countries.

Some US food manufacturers have added artificial colors, including Red No. 3, already removed from their products.

In a statement, a spokesman for the National Confectioners Association, a trade group that markets chocolate, candy, gum and mints, said it will continue to follow and comply with FDA guidelines.

“Our consumers and everyone in the food industry want and expect a strong FDA and a consistent, science-based national regulatory framework,” the spokesperson said. “We have said for years that the FDA is the rightful national regulatory decision-maker and leader in food safety.”

All color additives must be approved by the FDA before they can be used in foods sold in the United States. There are 36 FDA-approved color additives, nine of which are synthetic colors.

The FDA has stated that it is approving Red No.

There are also concerns about whether artificial food coloring could affect children’s behavior. The FDA investigated the possible link between artificial colors and hyperactivity in children in 2011. However, it found that no causal relationship could be established.

Although the FDA is now revoking its approval and halting its use nationwide, other states have already taken action.

According to CSPI, California and 10 other states have already taken steps to ban the food dye.