27 Oct 2022 --- As Halloween approaches and parents worry about the amount of sugar their children will consume from candy, scientists and experts are claiming the real threat may actually be a known potential carcinogen used in some sweet treats: the color additive erythrosine – commonly known as red dye #3. Some professional and health-related groups are now calling for it to be banned in the US.Though it has been illegal to use the color additive in cosmetics, makeup or externally applied pharmaceuticals since it was outlawed in 1990, the potentially carcinogenic chemical is still found in over 2,800 food items, including candies, cakes and seasonal items like those sold during Halloween according to Food Scores – a database run by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that tracks ingredient listings in products.
