US Food and Drug Administration officially revoked its authorization of Red Dye No. 3, a widely used food coloring that has been under scrutiny for decades. The ban comes more than 30 years after studies linked high doses of the additive to cancer in lab rats,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the dye known as Red 3 from the nation’s food supply in January, setting deadlines for stripping the brightly hued additive from candies and cough syrup, baked goods and frozen treats.

U.S. health officials have banned Red Dye No. 3 from American foods, decades after the synthetic coloring was banned in Europe. As VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, studies have linked the bright red color additive to cancer in male laboratory rats.

Do you still have candy hearts from Valentine’s Day that say “I love you”? Odds are, red dye No. 3 was used in the manufacturing process. The FDA has officially banned it. KYW medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough looks at what this means to all of us.