Watchdog Raises Alarm Over 3 Food Additives Linked to Cancer After Red Dye Ban

New York: The FDA just banned Red No. 3 from food and drugs due to cancer concerns. This dye has been off-limits in cosmetics since 1990, but it took decades for the FDA to act on food. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) pushed for this ban, citing studies showing cancer in lab rats exposed to high levels of the dye.

But it turns out Red No. 3 isn’t the only additive that raises eyebrows. Thomas Galligan from CSPI pointed out three more additives that could be harmful. First up is aspartame, a common sweetener found in diet foods and drinks. The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently labeled it as possibly cancer-causing, based on human evidence. Galligan mentioned that the FDA disagrees with this classification, which is concerning since the IARC is a leading authority on cancer.

Next on the list is BHA, a preservative found in many foods. It’s banned in several countries due to cancer risks, but it’s still widely used in the U.S. Galligan argues that the evidence from animal studies is enough to warrant a ban here too.

Then there’s potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide, both used in bread. Potassium bromate has been banned by the World Health Organization for its cancer-causing potential. While it’s still allowed in the U.S., it was banned in California recently, which might push manufacturers to stop using it altogether. Azodicarbonamide breaks down into chemicals linked to cancer, yet it remains legal in the U.S.

Galligan hopes for a broader reform of the FDA’s approval process for food additives. He believes that simply banning individual ingredients isn’t enough, as there are thousands of chemicals still allowed in food. The FDA hasn’t commented on these concerns yet, but the push for change is growing.