What foods contain red dye No. 3, and how do you avoid them?

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The Food and Drug Administration’s ban on the use of red dye No. 3 in food is set to take place in mid-January 2027 and affects hundreds of products, including candies and drinks, snacks and fruit cocktails.

The ban comes more than two years after advocates pressed the FDA to ban the dye, citing studies that show high doses could cause cancer in rats.

Here’s what you need to know about what products contain red dye No. 3 and how to avoid it.

What foods and products contain red dye No. 3?

Many candies, “particularly those available during Halloween and Valentine’s Day,” contain red dye No. 3, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Although the centre said that the candy company Brach’s sold about 100 products that contained the dye as of 2023, that has changed.

Ferrara Candy, owner of Brach’s, released a statement Wednesday saying that it began phasing out the use of red No. 3 in early 2023, adding that “more than half of Brach’s products do not include,” the dye.

“Brach’s Candy Corn candy shipping for the Fall 2025 season will not contain Red No. 3, and we are on track to eliminate the food coloring from remaining products by the end of 2026,” the company said.

The National Confectioners Association, a trade industry group, said it will comply with the new FDA edict.

“Our consumers and everyone in the food industry want and expect a strong FDA, and a consistent, science-based national regulatory framework,” the group said.

The dye has also been found in some beverages, ice creams, packaged snack cakes, canned fruit cocktails and some medicines. While red dye No. 3 will be banned in foods in 2027, it must be removed from ingested drugs by 2028.

How do I avoid red dye No. 3?

Check food labels to make sure red dye No. 3 is not included in the ingredients. Some experts recommended seeking products with natural alternatives such as food colored with beets and red cabbage. For those trying to naturally add color to food while cooking and baking at home, concentrated vegetable or fruit juices, beet powder and fruit extracts are potential alternatives.

“Also you can limit your consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are more likely to contain Red 3,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group. “When you do eat packaged products, choose certified organic options when available and affordable. Organic packaged food must meet strong standards that protect consumers from exposure to potentially harmful food additives, including Red 3.”

How has the industry responded to the change?

The International Association of Color Manufacturers told The Washington Post last month that it stands behind the dye, saying it is “safe for its intended uses” and that removing the additive would lead to higher costs for consumers.

But some companies began phasing out red dye No. 3, after California passed a statewide ban in 2023. Dole has eliminated the dye from all of its U.S. products, said Karey Tanner, senior communications manager for Dole Packaged Foods U.S.

Buena Vista Foods, which produces cookies and other baked goods, said it has been phasing out red dye No. 3. While the dye is in a pink heart-shaped cookie the company produces for Valentine’s Day, it will be replaced by beet juice starting in March.

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