The FDA is making moves here at the start of 2025.
© Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Thomas J. Turney/The State Journal-Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images + © Brian Johnston, Asbury Park Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC
(Washington, DC) – The FDA is making moves aimed at improving the health of Americans. On Wednesday, January 15, the agency announced it was banning Red dye number 3, which has been linked to increased cancer risk in the past. In fact, research dating back 30 years has pointed to that link. California had already taken this step (in 2023), as did the neighboring nation of Canada.
Red dye number three is added to foods and beverages to give them an appealing cherry color. Manufacturers that use the additive are being given two years to remove it and reformulate their products.
Proponents of the ban have also expressed concern about other dyes, such as “Red Number 40,” which has not been re-evaluated in around ten years, per experts. Others point to studies that suggest dyes used in highly-processed foods can be linked to diabetes and ADHD.
The FDA is also hoping to influence shopper’s decisions. A proposed rule would require new labels on food packaging, to indicate whether a product has low, medium, or high amounts of sodium. Similar labels would focus on saturated fat and added sugar. The aim is for this to “complement” the Nutrition Facts label that’s required by the FDA on most packaged foods. Those were first introduced in 1994, following the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which was signed into law in 1990.
Advocates say front-of-package labels have been shown in other countries to incentivize food companies to reformulate products and help people make healthier options.
Cigarettes are another area of focus for the FDA. The amount of nicotine that’s permitted may soon be lowered by the FDA. And that would apply to smokeless tobacco and nicotine products as well. The agency says a proposed rule could could make tobacco products less addictive and easier to quit. The United States would be the first country to implement a limit if the rule is finalized.
In a statement, the FDA commissioner suggested the move “could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of severe illness and disability, while also saving huge amounts of money.” Cigarette use is considered the number one cause of preventable death in the US. But some say the reduced-nicotine plan would benefit Mexican drug cartels and force smokers to buy on the black market.
