FDA may outlaw food dyes ‘within weeks’: Bombshell move would affect candy, soda and cakes, revolutionize American diets

The Food and Drug Administration will decide on a ban of certain food dyes in the coming weeks after receiving a petition to review the safety of Red 3, NBC News reports.

“With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we’re hopeful that in the next few weeks we’ll be acting on that petition,” Jim Jones, the deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA, said during a Senate meeting this week, per NBC.

According to the FDA, the agency has reviewed the safety of Red 3 —which is derived from petroleum and found snacks, beverages, candy and more — in food and drugs “multiple times” since it was first approved in 1969, but the petition has requested for the additive to be reviewed once more.

“With the holiday season in full swing where sweet treats are abundant, it is frightening that this chemical remains hidden in these foods that we and our children are eating,” US Representative Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote in a letter to the FDA.

“While food companies must ensure that the food they market is safe, they are also only required to ensure that their products meet FDA’s standards. This means that thousands of products that contain this chemical can remain on the market.”

He argued that there is “no reason” for the additive to be in food “except to entice and mislead customers” to make products appear “more appealing.”