CLAY COUNTY - Following a long battle for most food and health connoisseurs, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, marked a new step forward in the world of healthy living.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would ban the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs.

The synthetic color additive, used to give products a bright, cherry red appeal–think a slice of red velvet cake or the maraschino cherry in your cocktail–was found to be linked to cancer. 

The dye is most commonly found in popular confections and products, like cookies, frostings, cakes and candies. But, it could appear in some medicines, including acetaminophen. 

With the recent decision, these products could begin to look a little different in the near future. And food businesses are weighing in.

For local bakers, food coloring is a key part of their craft. And many are saying the ban of this particular ingredient is a long time coming.

“I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction, but I think we definitely have more work to do,” said Melissa Jonyka, owner of Hyssop and Honey Sourdough Bakery in Middleburg.

Gail Whitehead, owner of Grandma Gail’s Dough House in Green Cove Springs, has been following the potential ban since raising her children in the 1980s, when studies first linked the dye to thyroid cancer found in lab rats. 

The dye was eventually banned from cosmetics in 1990, but remained legal in food products.

“Why did we wait so long?,” Whitehead said. “I mean, it clearly has been a problem for a very long time.” 

Jonyka said it's saddening to see the effect that artificial preservatives as a whole have had on society. According to Tilley Distribution, artificial flavorings and dyes are more cost effective and able to meet demand, in turn, making the products cheaper options for consumers.

“It really affects lower income families and especially children,” she said. “ And, I think that's the worst part. It’s just almost predatory.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, artificial food colorings are also linked to attention-deficit and hyperactivity in children. 

Because of this, baker Gabrielle Dawson said she eliminated it from her children’s diet around five years ago. 

Although they said the ban is a big win for the food industry, concerns still linger about the greater effect it could have on business. And with Valentine's Day around the corner, the color will be in high demand. 

Life’s a Batch owner Holly Rowan said she has mixed feelings. She said on one hand, she agrees with the ban. However, she feels that the more expensive alternatives could bring a big financial change for her customers.

“There’s going to be a lot of people that don’t care, they're going to want their cake a certain color. Especially probably at Christmas time,” Rowan said. “And it’s going to make it harder to accomplish that. Or, are they going to want to pay the price it’s going to take to create that color.” 

Jonyka said she thinks the ban will definitely hurt the food industry as a whole.

“I think it will definitely hurt the big food industry, just because they only care about the bottom line,” Jonyka said. “But, I do hope this pushes them to make changes in other ways too, like cutting out other dyes like red 40, yellow 5, blue dyes and all of that stuff. 

Making the product taste good is one thing, but co-owner of Rummies and Yummies Bakery and Coffee shop in Orange Park, Amy Hales said giving customers the ‘look’ that they desire is something that she and other bakers pride themselves in. 

“If you want to give people a red velvet cake and it doesn’t look red, people tend to not buy it,” Hales said.

She said it’s important to make food the the right way.

“It’s going to be just making sure that, again, validating any kind of coloring that I have, does not have any of the proposed banned ones or anything else that may be deemed harmful,” Hales said. 

Dawson said even with less artificial food colorings on the shelves, getting the look that your customers want is still possible.

Since opening Bless Your Heart Bakery in Middleburg five years ago, Dawson said she’s way ahead of the curve, already using natural dyes as an alternative.

 “I have several customers who already order dye free stuff from me. So, I do  know what brands work,” she said. 

According to Instructables, some ways to achieve a natural red color is by using concentrated beet juice, berries or rhubarb. 

Dawson said brands like TruColor and Supernatural Kitchen are perfect for this. 

U.S. manufacturers will need to reformulate food and drug products containing the dye by 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Until then, the bakers noted how it’s important to pay attention to the labels of the products you buy.

“I just hope somehow, someway, as a society we just become better educated on what we’re putting in our bodies, what we’re putting in our own kid’s bodies,” Jonyka said.