Red dye number 2 was banned in 1976 due to links to cancer in rats. Red dye number 3 was banned in 2025 over similar health concerns. Manufacturers have been given until January 16, 2027, to remove red dye number 3 from their products. 

What might this ban mean for the animal feed industry? Does it have application and perhaps implications?

During IPPE in Atlanta, Ga, we had the opportunity to talk with David Eisenberg, President of Micro-Tracers, a manufacturer of analytical tracers that uses a minute amount of red dye number 3 in its products for the animal feed industry. The use of tracers is common among animal feed and animal health companies worldwide as a way to identify their products as proprietary.