The Food and Drug Administration's recent ban on Red No. 3 food coloring has left some bakers wondering how to give their desserts a deep rouge shade.
One Redditor turned to the r/AskBaking community in hopes of finding a safer substitute for the food additive, as they planned to make a red velvet cake and preferred "a more vibrant color."
"Obviously I don't want to use it in my recipes now, does anyone have a suitable alternative for it in recipes?" they asked.
"Beetroot juice was used traditionally for red velvet cake before commercial dyes were introduced, cannot be tasted in the final result," a user commented.
The FDA revoked Red No. 3's approval for safe use on Jan. 15, giving food companies until 2027 and drug manufacturers until 2028 to find nontoxic alternatives. A few products that contain the synthetic coloring agent include candies, baked goods, beverages, and maraschino cherries.
Thomas Galligan of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest told The Cool Down that Red No. 3 and other petroleum-based food dyes serve no essential purpose and are only "added to our food exclusively to increase their visual appeal, to make them look a certain way so that consumers want to buy them."
Furthermore, the artificial colorant has been linked to cancer in animals and may cause behavioral issues in children. "The FDA itself determined that Red 3 is an animal carcinogen in 1990 and have been obligated to ban it ever since … and they have just failed to do so for approaching 35 years," Galligan added.
Luckily for the OP, they may have other suitable options to give their red velvet cake its distinct color if beetroot juice is unfeasible.
Another person responded with a link to an article published by Food Processing, which suggested using plant-based options such as betacyanin or anthocyanin. The former is a pigment that gives red beets their color, while the latter is derived from purple sweet potatoes.
|
What's your biggest motivation in trying to reduce your personal food waste?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Saving money 💰 "In terms of hue, it's extremely similar," Elijah Church of Doehler USA said of anthocyanin to Food Processing. "It's the closest thing, I would say, to a simple plug-and-play, one-to-one substitution for Red 3."
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
