3 cancer-linked chemicals lose FDA approval for use in US food coloring and produce inks

Three chemicals used in food coloring additives and produce inks are set to lose federal approval after being linked to cancer.

Here's what to know

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Monday that it will be revoking its authorizations for the use of methylene chloride in inks used to mark fruits and vegetables. 

Authorizations will also be revoked for the use of methylene chloride, ethylene dichloride, and trichloroethylene in making turmeric oleoresin, annatto extract, and paprika oleoresin — three food colorings.

The revocations are set to take effect on January 11, 2027.

More background

According to Food Safety News, several groups — including Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, the Environmental Working Group, the Center for Environmental Health, International Association of Color Manufacturers, and the Environmental Defense Fund — petitioned the FDA to revoke authorization of the chemicals, invoking the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act. 

As defined by the clause, color additives intended for ingestion must be considered unsafe if evidence shows they cause cancer in people or animals. 

An Environmental Defense Fund press release on this week's FDA announcement said that exposure to the three chemicals "has been linked to cancer, along with other serious health conditions like heart defects in babies and damage to the liver, kidney and immune system."

A page from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry explains, "We do not know if methylene chloride can cause cancer in humans." But it does note that inhaling "large amounts" of the chemical has been linked to cancer risks in mice and that the World Health Organization, Department of Health and Human Services, and Environmental Protection Agency have also previously characterized the chemical as a possible carcinogen in humans.

Where can I learn more?

Food additives and safety checks are drawing scrutiny well beyond this FDA decision: 

• California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel once dismissed dye bans before writing the "Skittles ban" bill.

• In Maryland, Consumer Reports delivered 100,000 signatures to the FDA over additives in snacks.

• A California lawsuit alleges millions of Driscoll's berry trays exceeded Canada's pesticide limit.

• A U.S. Cyclospora outbreak has put the FDA's declining foreign inspections under scrutiny.

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