Red dye No. 3 has been permissible for use in food despite the Delaney Clause of the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The clause, in part, “prohibits the FDA from approving a color additive that is ingested if it causes cancer in animals or humans when ingested,” according to the agency .

The U.S. on Wednesday banned the use of a synthetic food dye that gives some candies, cakes and certain oral medications a cherry-red color, following evidence that the dye causes cancer in laboratory rats.

Red No. 3, chemically known as erythrosine, was first introduced into foods in 1907. Companies subsequently added it to thousands of products to boost their colors over the decades, often in snacks like ice cream and candy marketed directly to children.