Removal of Red Dye No. 3 won't be immediate. Here are a few popular foods that currently contain the outlawed colorant.

For decades, FD&C Red No. 3 has added its vivid cherry-red hue to candies and cupcakes—but its risks have been debated just as long.

T he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food and ingested drugs on Wednesday, more than three decades after the agency prohibited it from being used in cosmetics because of possible cancer risks.

The US Food and Drug Administration announced this month that it's effectively banning Red No. 3, the controversial artificial red dye found in food and drinks that's been linked to cancer. The decision comes 30 years after scientists first discovered links between the dye and thyroid cancer in animals.

The FDA's ban on Red Dye Number 3, set to take effect in January 2027, raises health concerns among local doctors who recommend reducing artificial food dyes to improve children's health and behavior.