Episode Details

Is Red Dye 3 banned? Yes, by an FDA order dated January 15, 2025 — and the deadlines run to 2027 and 2028. Both halves of that sentence matter. The FDA revoked the authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and in ingested drugs, but food manufacturers have until January 15, 2027 to reformulate and ingested drugs until January 18, 2028, and product manufactured before the effective date may still be legally on the market afterwards. The legal trigger is the Delaney Clause, enacted in 1960, which prohibits FDA authorization of a color additive found to induce cancer in humans or animals. What the FDA actually says about the evidence is narrower than most headlines: the dye causes cancer in male laboratory rats exposed to high levels through a hormonal mechanism that occurs in male rats, studies in other animals or in humans did not show the same effect, and there is no evidence showing it causes cancer in humans. Both things are true at once, which is why the story keeps getting garbled. In this episode: - The two dates, and why a two-year runway is not a contradiction - What the Delaney Clause actually tests, in plain language - Why the dessert aisle is in scope — frostings and icings are named - The four documents to ask a supplier for, in order - Why an ingredient list is a screening check and not proof - Dana's winning round: the comparison this show refuses to make Who should skip it: home bakers baking a few times a year — the reformulation is the manufacturer's job, not yours. The MONÉGASQUE 7 gram luster dust jars are on Amazon at $9.99 standard; check the listing for current pricing. Full transcript on the episode page. New questions answered every week at The Monégasque Table. **Direct answer (top):** The FDA issued an order on January 15, 2025 revoking the authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs. Food has until January 15, 2027 to reformulate, ingested drugs until January 18, 2028, and pre-deadline product can remain on the market after. The trigger is the 1960 Delaney Clause, not a finding of human harm: FDA states there is no evidence the dye causes cancer in humans. - 00:00 Cold open — January 15, 2027 is a real deadline - 00:50 The verdict: three sentences, with dates - 01:40 The Delaney Clause: a switch, not a dial - 02:40 What the FDA actually says the evidence shows - 04:20 Objection one: why a banned thing gets a two-year runway - 05:40 Objection two: why the glitter aisle should care - 06:50 How the color system works — listings, not product approvals - 08:30 Parts 73 and 74, and what "certified" means - 10:20 The four documents, in order, and why the SDS is not the test - 12:40 Dana's round: the comparison this show will not make - 14:20 The villain — missing ingredient information - 15:40 A real afternoon: the three-pile spreadsheet - 17:00 Who should skip it · Dana's Scorecard · footnote · two teases