Red Dye No. 3 Banned in CA, Linked to Behavioral Problems
October 19, 2023Red Dye No. 3 is one of four food additives now banned by the landmark California Food Safety Act, the first law of its kind in the United States.
The ban, which was signed on October 7 by Governor Gavin Newsom, cites research linking the additives to serious health risks but has drawn ire from some trade associations that accuse it of sidestepping the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1 , 2 According to Food Safety magazine, the targeted chemicals are already banned in the European Union, in part, because studies have linked them to cancer, reproductive issues, and childhood behavioral and developmental problems.3 Known as the “Skittles ban,” the California law will take effect in 2027 and prohibit the manufacturing, selling, or distributing of food products containing potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben, and Red Dye No.
3, a synthetic dye made from petroleum that is found in foods, drinks, and medications.4 Joel Nigg, Ph.D., director of the ADHD Research Program at Oregon Health and Science University, called food dyes a “public health concern” that affects children with and without ADHD.“There is enough evidence that food dyes affect behavior in some sensitive children with ADHD (and other children without the condition) to justify warning labels on foods containing synthetic dyes,” Nigg told ADDitude.Concerns about increasing rates of ADHD and other behavioral disorders prompted the California Legislature to ask the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to conduct a food dye assessment in 2021.
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