The FDA issued a ban on the use of red dye No. 3 in food and beverage products and ingested drugs. The synthetic dye has been linked to cancer in animal studies and was banned more than 30 years ago in cosmetics and topical drugs.

The FDA has banned a red food dye that has long been on the enemies list of consumer groups, as well as the designated next health secretary, RFK Jr.

The fertilizer is often used to treat fields on farms, posing a particular risk to those who regularly consume beef and milk.

FDA officials have telegraphed the decision for months. While the agency has long said that it did not think evidence of Red 3 causing cancer applied to humans, officials said their hand was forced by a law requiring the agency to pull additives that are cancerous in animals.

The FDA has banned red dye No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, the agency announced. But what exactly is red dye No. 3, and why is it being banned? Here's what you need to know.

Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable,

The decision arrives nearly 35 years after the dye was prohibited in cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.

The FDA announced on Wednesday that it has banned the use of Red No. 3, an additive used to give food and drinks a cherry-red color.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially banned red dye — called Red 3, or Erythrosine — from foods, dietary supplements and ingested medicines, as reported on Wednesday.

Forever chemicals in sewage-based fertilizer spread on pastures can increase cancer risks for people who consume milk, beef, eggs and other products from those farms, with some risks potentially far exceeding acceptable levels,

Fertilizers that contain treated sewage tainted with toxic PFAS chemicals can be spread on farmland and pose a health risk to people who consume milk, eggs and beef, the agency says.

The dye, widely used between big food and candy makers and pharmaceutical companies, will be banned starting in 2027.