Notes from Creekside - Read the Label: Food dyes?

On January 15 this year, the FDA banned red dye no. 3. What exactly does that mean? Food dyes are substances added to foods that change the color; originally synthesized from coal tar and petroleum. Walk into any grocery store in the US and you’re able to find a package of these artificial colors (PubMed-Toxicology of Food Dyes) to add to your foods. But why is the banned list in the US so short? Although not banned in Europe, products face much heavier regulation, making many companies that sell products in both the US and the EU have different ingredients/recipes for the same product.