The United States has banned the use of the synthetic food dye Red No. 3, which has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory rats. This decision reflects the changing attitudes toward food safety regulations, particularly in light of the fact that it was banned from cosmetics over three decades ago, highlighting a discrepancy in how substances are legislatively treated depending on their application. Linda Birnbaum expressed her approval, emphasizing that allowing it in food while banning it in cosmetics lacked logical consistency.
Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for Human Foods at the FDA, stated, 'The FDA cannot authorise a food additive or colour additive if it has been found to cause cancer in humans or animals.' This underscores the FDA's regulatory power and commitment to food safety, even as some studies indicated that Red No. 3 does not pose a risk to humans despite its historical association with cancer in animal studies. This comment illustrates ongoing debates about public health standards.
Collection
[
|
...
]