THIBODAUX, LA — The FDA ban on food dye Red No. 3 left Louisiana’s snowball industry unaffected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned synthetic food dye Red No. 3 on Jan 15, 2025. According to research, most snowball syrup manufacturers use alternative dyes to color their products.
Research suggests that Red No. 3 may cause cancer in lab rats, leading to the ban. FDA said manufacturers that use Red No. 3 will have until Jan. 18, 2028 to reformulate their products.
Snowball stand owners say their product remains unaffected.
Brooke Carrere, founder and CEO of Brooke’s Sno-World, a snowball franchise and syrup-making company, said that vanilla orchard and creme soda contain Red No. 3. She said these flavors had been discontinued and removed from her menu before the ban. She said she stays informed on industry regulations to help answer questions from her customers and other snowball stand owners.
Ingrid Cassandre, whose mother owns Sno on the Bayou, reviewed her snowball inventory and didn’t find Red No. 3 listed among the syrup ingredients.
Cassandre said, “They all have Red No. 40. It doesn’t look like any of them have Red No. 3.”
Red No. 40 is the primary red dye used in most snowball syrups, according to market research. However, the FDA said that Red. No. 40 could be linked to increased hyperactivity in mental health disorders in children, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism. Studies also say Red. No. 40 may cause allergies or migraines.
Elizabeth Sloan, professor of dietetics at Nicholls State University, said Red No. 3 is a petroleum-based chemical compound, with iodine added to give its red coloring.
The FDA approved Red No. 3 for food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals in 1969. However, in 1980, studies linked Red No. 3 to cancer in male rats. The U.S. banned its use in cosmetics in 1990. In 1994, the European Union restricted its use in food products. California banned Red No. 3 in food products in 2023. The Center for Science in the Public Interest and others petitioned the FDA in 2023, resulting in the nationwide ban in January 2025.
The FDA’s decision was based on the 1958 Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This prohibits using food additives that cause cancer in humans or animals. Research suggests Red No. 3 causes cancer in animals, though similar effects have not been confirmed in humans.
Sloan said people need to be careful and pay more attention to what they are eating. “These processed foods contain chemicals that we are not really sure about in the long term,” she said.
Although the ban does not affect the taste of snowballs, Sloan said that color plays a significant role in how people perceive flavor. “Your sense of taste is often related to what you see,” she said.
Cassandre agreed. She said that kids get excited when they see their colored snowballs. “I don’t think snowballs would be as popular if they were clear,” she said.
Despite this, snowball stand owners have expanded their selection to include dye-free options for customers. Cassandre said that a lot of parents buy dye-free snowballs for their children who have ADHD.
“We have more clear snowballs than ever before,” she said.
Many snowball stand owners now offer flavors like strawberry, bubblegum and spearmint without dyes.
Carrere said it’s important to adapt to the customer’s needs.
“If we can modify things to benefit our customers, we stay 100% on top of it,” she said “At the end of the day, it’s not about the money. It’s about putting smiles on their faces. That’s why they come to us.”
