These are among the thousands of American foods and drinks that could be forced to change their recipes once the FDA considers a ban on a cancerous ingredient.
FDA officials have indicated it could be weeks before a ban on Red 3, a synthetic chemical that turns candy, ice cream and even some vegan meats bright red colors.
A growing number of recent studies have linked the dye to health problems such as hyperactivity in children and some cancers in animals.
According to a database from the Watchdog Environmental Working Group (EWG), nearly 3,000 foods sold in the U.S. contain Red 3.
Among the most popular are Peeps Bunnies, Cosmic Brownies and some flavors of Cap’n Crunch cereal.
But it’s not just sweets and sweets. Vegan bacon from Morning Star and Walmart’s Great Value has also been found to contain Red 3.
And even popular milks and shakes like Nesquick and Zorgen have the coloring on their ingredient labels.
Colorants such as Red 3 are used to give candies their bright and vibrant colors. However, research shows that they can cause hyperactivity and cancer
Your browser does not support iframes.
While these foods may be less bright without the food coloring, experts suggest they probably won’t taste much different.
Instead, Americans may view them as different because of their duller colors.
For example, one study found that when participants were given two drinks with different amounts of food coloring, most people found the drinks with more food coloring to be sweeter than the drinks with less food coloring.
And one 2010 review suggested that people have “robust associations between tastes and colors” because they expect foods of different colors to taste a certain way.
For example, bright pink signals strawberry flavor, while participants associated red color with cherry flavor.
This could lead people to assume that foods with natural colorings, which are less bright, may not be as sweet.
Red 3 has not been shown to change the texture of food.
Last week, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human nutrition, said, “With Red 3, we have a petition before us to revoke the authorization board, and we are hopeful that we will do so in the coming weeks. acting on that petition.”
Although Red 3 has been banned in cosmetics, US officials have long been calling for restrictions on it in food, with Europe and states like California introducing their own bans.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services, are also outspoken dyes like Red 3 cause cancer.
The EWG database generated 2,876 products with Red 3 listed on their ingredient labels. However, some of these, like PediaSure’s Grow and Gain shakes, have the dye removed.
The prime suspects are red and pink candies, including Peeps, Brach’s Jelly Beans, Strawberry Ring Pops and Dubble Bubble gum.
Strawberry or “birthday cake” flavored ice creams may also contain Red 3 to make them look bright pink and to color their vibrant sprinkles.
Great Value, Walmart brand, Birthday Cake Ice Cream, North Star Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars and Nerd Strawberry flavored Bomb Pops were some of the most recognizable products found in EWG’s database.
The sprinkles on Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies also use Red 3 to make them stand out.
But it’s not just sweets that are packed with potentially harmful dyes.
EWG also found that some meat products such as Jack Links Beef Stick and Cheese snack also contain Red 3.
Vegan choices like Morning Star bacon also contain Red 3, so they are more like regular meat.