Red Dye No. 3 is a food coloring that has come under fire in the last year. Last year 23 groups put together a petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to formally remove Red Dye 3 from the list of approved color additives in foods, dietary supplements and oral medicines. It is most prominently known as the color for Peeps.
Now California is voting on a bill to ban it.
The coloring is being linked to cancer and behavioral problems in kids. The artificial coloring called Red Dye No. 3 is a known carcinogen and the chemical has been linked to behavioral issues in kids. One experts says "Red dye offers no nutritional or positive impacts on health. There is only potential harm, although the jury is out on the amount of type of harm it may or may not cause." There’s now a nationwide push to ban the dye and Peeps have come under the spotlight because some of their treats use the coloring.
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