In-N-Out Says Goodbye to Red Dye No. 3

In-N-Out is changing some of its recipes to remove the dye known as FD&C Red No. 3, now banned from the nation's food supply. The fast-food chain found primarily in the Southwest will remove the dye also known as Red 3 or erythrosine—which gives a bright, cherry-red color to products ranging from candies to processed meats—from its popular strawberry shake and signature pink lemonade, a rep told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. The FDA banned the food dye in January, citing a statute that requires the agency to ban any additive found to cause cancer in people or animals.

Red 3 has been found to cause cancer in lab rats, though "the biological process through which the dye causes cancer in rats doesn't occur in people," who also consume much lower levels of the dye than was given to the rats, per the Times. The FDA initially gave food manufacturers until 2027 to remove the dye from their products. But in April, the agency asked companies to speed up the process. It also said it would initiate the process to revoke authorization for the petroleum-based dyes Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B and would work with the industry "to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes" from food by next year.

Those dyes are FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, and FD&C Blue No. 2. The effort likely means other food companies will need to revamp their offerings. As the Times notes, Jack in the Box has a Fanta strawberry beverage containing Red No. 40—which some studies have linked to hyperactivity, per CNET. The FDA just approved three new color additives made from butterfly pea flower, algae, and other natural sources, to help replace those being pulled, Food Dive reports. (More food dye stories.)