Just over a month before Donald Trump takes office as the new president of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could announce in the coming weeks the prohibition of several food colorings nationwide, completely transforming the diet of Americans.
This is about the ban on various food chemicals, including Red 3, a type of dye, which has been the subject of multiple reports linking it to cancer. These reports have been around for several years, but it is only now, with the new presidential administration in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set to become the Secretary of Health, that the FDA announced it could ban it. Kennedy believes that dyes are linked to cancer.
“With Red 3, we have a petition in front of us to revoke the authorization board, and we hope that in the coming weeks we will act on that petition,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner of the FDA for human foods, during a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last Thursday, as reported by NBC News.
Red 3 and Red 40 are chemicals that provide color to certain cereals, candies, sodas, and more. Although they are made from petroleum, they were approved in 1969 in the United States, but currently, they are banned in California and other countries.
"With the holiday season in full swing and an abundance of sweets, it is terrifying that this chemical remains hidden in these foods that we and our children are consuming," said Frank Pallone Jr., a representative of the United States on the Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives, as reported by the FDA.
As long as FDA approval continues, products containing Red 3 and Red 40 will remain on the market. Hence, the importance of this decision for those who claim it is related to cancer.
"The food dyes serve only a purpose in foods, to make them look pretty, so when you and I want to buy them, it's a marketing tool," said scientist Thomas Galligan from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to the mentioned media outlet. He emphasized that the sole purpose of these chemicals in food is to make them look more attractive with their colors, and that they do not provide any nutritional value. By giving a bright color, they make them more beautiful, and that's why children are among those most attracted to them."
According to Pallone, the only reason for Red 3 dye is "to attract and deceive customers."
The FDA and position on food colorings in the United States
If the prohibition of Red and Red 40 as food colorants were to be approved, the FDA would align its position in compliance with the demands due to the allegations that these petroleum-derived chemicals cause cancer.
The New York Post reported that Dr. Darin Detwiler, a former FDA employee, warned in the Daily Mail that Kellogg's Froot Loops is the worst of all cereals because to achieve its rainbow colors, they are "highly processed and contain high levels of added sugars, artificial colors, and preservatives," making it harmful to health.
Just like Kellogg's Froot Loops, there are other harmful foods. According to The Post, one of the most harmful ingredients in this cereal is the one that gives the red color with red 40, a synthetic dye, which according to researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, could cause irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease.
"A 2022 study produced 'alarming' results on the effects of Red 40 - sometimes called Allura Red - on the human digestive tract," said the aforementioned outlet, which reported that McMaster researchers conducted tests on mice and determined that the synthetic dye from this cereal damaged their intestines.
In addition to Red 40, Kellogg adds other coloring chemicals to Froot Loops such as Yellow 6, Blue 1, and the preservative BHT.