Cleveland Clinic offers insight into Red dye no.3 ban

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - After the FDA banned a food dye commonly used in many products nationwide, Cleveland Clinic helped shed some light as to why the product was banned.

One of the main contributors to the ban according to the Cleveland Clinic, was that several studies have surfaced showing a link between a chemical used in the dye and cancer in rats.

“It’s a petroleum-based chemical, which now because it’s being banned, has actually had a positive correlation to cause cancer in rats,” RD, registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic Beth Czerwony said. “So, there are no human studies that have shown this, but there is strong evidence that it does have cancer-causing properties based on the petroleum that it’s made out of.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the FDA banned the product simply out of precaution.

“A lot of foods that are going to have this red dye are already processed,” Czerwony said. “They’re going to be in cereals, snacks and sugar-laden beverages and those types of things. So, ultimately, those are things that we would want you to avoid or limit in your diets anyway.”

Check which products contain Red 3 dye through our previous coverage.