Is your favorite brand slowly killing you?

Image credit: RF/Getty Images

The FDA has just confirmed that the food coloring Red Dye No. 3 causes cancer in both animals and humans.

What’s the problem besides the obvious? That this isn’t news. Companies have known about it for years, but the FDA has taken ages to make an official statement.

What’s the other issue? Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people with cancers linked to food preservatives haven’t been properly diagnosed due to the lack of this acknowledgment by the FDA in the United States.

How bad is this for brands? Extremely bad. Why haven’t companies switched to a safer coloring or simply stopped using this chemical altogether? Because it costs money.

Now the question is: when will they finally do it, and how will people react to these products in the meantime?

And what will happen first: PR budgets sweeping this news under the rug, or people forgetting this inconvenient little detail?

Just in case, I’d recommend checking the labels on your lollipops, ice creams, gummies, and favorite sweets before giving them to your kids—or even yourself.

Image credit: Mark Lennihan/AP