Red 3, also labeled Red No. 3 or FD&C Red 3, is a synthetic food coloring. Despite the FDA’s recognition that Red 3 is a carcinogen, it is lurking in thousands of foods, including MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips, Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice, strawberry-flavored Ensure, some versions of Peeps, the cherries in fruit cocktail, and many varieties of candy corn. A search of the US Department of Agriculture’s Branded Foods Database at FoodData Central identified 9,201 US food products that contain Red 3—including hundreds of products made by the country’s biggest food companies.

But Red 3 does not need to be so widespread in our food supply. Companies could replace Red 3 with natural colors from foods like beets, red cabbage, or black currants...or could simply leave it out entirely. Red 3, like all food colorings, is added to food only to make it look more appealing, meaning it’s not necessary in any way.

In 1990, the FDA banned Red 3 for use in cosmetics, like lipstick and skincare products, as well as topical drugs, like pain-relief ointments. That’s because the FDA learned in the 1980s that Red 3 caused cancer when ingested by rats, and federal law requires that the FDA prohibit the use of any cancer-causing color additives. At the time, the agency promised to remove Red 3 from the food supply as well, but met with pressure from the maraschino cherry industry, which uses the color additive to keep their canned cherries red. For more than 30 years, the FDA has failed to keep its promise and uphold its duty to remove this known carcinogen from American foods.

When laboratory testing reveals that an additive causes cancer in humans or animals, it can no longer be deemed safe, and the Delaney Clause—a provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act—prohibits the FDA from approving that ingredient for use in food, drugs, and cosmetics. In addition, Red 3 has already been banned for food use in the European Union, except in some cherry products, since 1994.

In 2022, CSPI, along with 23 other organizations and prominent scientists, petitioned the FDA to formally remove Red 3 from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements, and oral medicines, effectively banning it. Despite having an obligation to rule on our petition within 180 days, the FDA has yet to do so.

In October 2023, California passed AB418, the California Food Safety Act, which bans the use of four food additives: Red 3, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben, and potassium bromate. Food manufacturers have until 2027 to reformulate—or stop selling—products that contain these additives.

Since California’s ban was signed into law, other states have introduced bills modeled after California’s. Because California’s AB418 is now law and the state’s economy is the largest in the country (and fifth largest in the world), manufacturers planning to continue selling their products in that state will already have a suitable version available for sale in other states, should their ban bills pass.

Scroll over your state to see if your state has introduced or passed legislation banning Red 3. If your state has legislation that has passed or is pending legislative approval, click on the state’s icon to learn more about the relevant legislation.