Red 40 (Allura Red) in Kids' Food: ADI, Behavior Studies, and FDA Phase-Out

What Red 40 is

FD&C Red No. 40 is a certified synthetic color additive. 21 CFR 74.340 identifies it as the disodium salt of 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid. On kids packs, the name appears as Red 40, FD&C Red No. 40, Allura Red, or Allura Red AC. The EU number is E129.

FDA must certify each manufactured batch before it enters the US food supply. The batch check covers identity and impurity limits: lead at not more than 10 ppm, arsenic not more than 3 ppm, and total color at not less than 85%. It does not set a milligram count on any yogurt lid.

Red 40 is not an added sugar.

FDA allows Red 40 in foods generally, in amounts consistent with good manufacturing practice, except where a standard of identity blocks added color. The consumer-facing list of uses includes cereal, drinks, gelatins, puddings, dairy, and candy.

[1][2]

The 7 mg/kg ADI and why the pack omits milligrams

The US acceptable daily intake for Red 40 is 7 mg per kg of body weight per day, matching the JECFA figure. A 20 kg child has a 140 mg ceiling. A 30 kg child has 210 mg.

The pack never prints those milligrams.

OEHHA's 2021 California assessment estimated a geometric-mean total synthetic-dye intake of 0.22 mg/kg/day for children ages 5 to 18 from foods. Red 40 carried the highest food exposure among all certified dyes, followed by Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. Juice drinks, fruit-flavored drink powders, soft drinks, ice cream cones, breakfast cereals, and icings drove a large share.

A 2022 lab survey of ten food categories marketed to children found Red 40 was the most prevalent dye in every category. One juice-drink serving reached about 7% to 9% of the FDA ADI for a 6- to 10-year-old. Significant in-lot and between-lot variability appeared in some brands, meaning two boxes of the same cereal can differ in dye load.

Lehmkuhler and colleagues also measured certified dyes in children's over-the-counter syrups and gummy vitamins. Some cold and allergy syrups delivered more Red 40 in a single labeled dose than a typical food day.

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How to use this page in the snack aisle

Read the ingredient list for Red 40, FD&C Red No. 40, and Allura Red. Packs print the name and omit milligrams.

Then read Added Sugars grams. Many red fruit snacks carry both the dye and a large sugar load. Cut the grams even if you also want the dye gone.

If a child has a clinician-noted dye sensitivity or a behavior plan that removes synthetic colors, skip foods that list Red 40. FDA's 2011 Food Advisory Committee said most children have no adverse effect. It also said some children may be sensitive.

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Formula and worked examples

ADI share equals milligrams of Red 40 times servings, divided by 7 times body weight in kg. You almost never have the milligrams, so the formula stays a ceiling check, not a lunchbox tally.

A 20 kg child has a 140 mg ADI. A juice drink that delivered 9% of the ADI in the 2022 food survey is about 13 mg in that one serving. Three of those drinks reach about 38 mg, still under 140 mg.

OEHHA's 0.22 mg/kg geometric-mean total-dye intake is 4.4 mg on a 20 kg child, describing a typical food day far under the 1960s-era ADI.

Added-sugar grams still use the AHA 25 g ceiling. A red pouch with 10 g added sugars uses 40% of that day whether or not Red 40 is present.

[1][3][6]

How to read the result and what to do next

If you are cutting sugar, use remaining Added Sugars grams. If you are avoiding synthetic dye, filter on the name Red 40. Those are two separate aisle tasks.

FDA tells parents who want less color to read the ingredient list. Exempt colors (beet juice, annatto, paprika, turmeric) still have to be approved, but they skip batch certification and the EU behavioral warning requirement.

[2]

Behavior evidence versus the ADI

The 2007 Southampton trial gave 3-year-olds and 8- to 9-year-olds two dye-plus-sodium-benzoate mixes. Mix B included Allura Red (Red 40). Parent ratings of hyperactivity rose on the mix days in the community sample, but the trial was not a Red-40-only dose.

OEHHA reviewed 25 pediatric challenge studies as part of its systematic assessment. Sixteen (64%) showed some positive association with adverse behavioral outcomes. Thirteen (52%) were statistically significant. Miller and colleagues, publishing from that review in 2022, concluded that FDA's acceptable daily intakes rest on older toxicology studies that were not designed to detect the behavioral effects those trials measured. The review examined all seven batch-certified dyes, not Red 40 alone, and the challenge studies used dye mixtures more often than single compounds.

A 2024 review of synthetic food dyes in pediatric populations confirmed links between these color additives and a range of health problems in children, including behavioral changes, allergenic reactions, and gastrointestinal issues. Effects appeared in children both with and without diagnosed behavioral disorders.

Fatima and colleagues reviewed the mechanistic evidence in 2025 and identified oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disruption of dopamine and serotonin metabolism as pathways through which synthetic dyes may cause neuroinflammation and impaired impulse control in developing brains.

FDA still maintains that certified colors are safe when used as regulated. OEHHA and the challenge literature still report a behavior association in some children. A parent who already sees a behavior change off dyed foods should follow that observation with the clinician, not invent a new milligram ADI from this page.

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Red 40 is not the Red 3 revocation

On January 15, 2025, FDA revoked authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs under the Delaney Clause. Rat studies showed cancer by a male-rat hormonal mechanism that FDA says does not occur in humans. Food makers have until January 15, 2027 to reformulate. That action is Red 3 (erythrosine), not Red 40.

Red 40 remains listed at 21 CFR 74.340. Do not read a Red 3 headline as a Red 40 ban.

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Where Red 40 shows up in kids food

Red 40 is the default red in fruit snacks, drink pouches, gelatin, cereal clusters, yogurt tubes, and candy. It also appears in some children's pain and cough syrups.

OEHHA's food list names categories, not brands. Juice drinks and reconstituted fruit powders were high-exposure items. A "10% juice" pouch that is mostly water, sugar, and Red 40 is a dye-plus-sugar product. Swap the pouch before hunting for dye in a ketchup packet.

A 2026 survey of 102 hydration beverages found that 87.5% of pediatric-marketed drinks contained at least one synthetic dye, with Red 40 the most common at 66.7%.

Lake pigments (Red 40 Lake) use the same dye bound to aluminum hydroxide so it does not bleed in coatings, icings, and ice cream cones. The ingredient list still has to name the certified color. "Lake" is a form, not a different chemical family.

[2][5][16]

State bans, FDA voluntary phaseout, and the EU warning

California signed AB 2316 into law in September 2024. The law bans Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 from food served in the state's public schools. It takes effect December 31, 2027. At least ten other states have introduced similar food-dye legislation since 2023.

In April 2025, FDA asked the food industry to voluntarily stop using synthetic food dyes, stopping short of an outright ban.

The EU has required warning labels on foods containing Red 40 and several other synthetic dyes since 2010. The sentence reads: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Many companies that sell in Europe reformulated products to avoid the label. The same products sold in the US still contain synthetic dyes.

None of these actions rewrite 21 CFR 74.340 today. Red 40 remains a legal food color in the United States.

[2][13]

USDA Organic

Certified synthetic colors including Red 40 are not allowed in USDA Organic processed food. A USDA Organic mark means conventional Red 40 should not be in the jar. Beet juice, black-carrot concentrate, and paprika can still color the food.

An organic red pouch that uses beet color can still show 10 g added sugars. Changing the color does not change those grams.

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Limits, edge cases, and safety

This page cannot convert a name into milligrams.

Batch-to-batch dye levels in the same brand can move, which is why the 2022 food survey reported in-lot and between-lot spread. AAP's 2018 food-additives report flagged synthetic colors as an exposure of concern for children and supported better labeling and more research. It did not set a kids milligram cap that replaces FDA's ADI.

People with a documented dye reaction need the clinician. This page is a label decoder.

Imported candy can use Allura Red under E129. The US name on a lawful import still has to meet FDA certification. A gray-market candy with no English ingredient list is a skip for more reasons than dye.

Buy the pack you can read. If you cannot name the dye, you cannot filter it.

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Snacks that do not list Red 40

Open a product page in an aisle where this name is common. We check the stored ingredient text, not a front-of-pack claim.

A snack can skip red 40 and still add cane sugar or juice concentrate. Count the Added Sugars grams.

Shortbread Cookies zero sugar

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder With Iron

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

String cheese

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Zero Sugar Greek Yogurt

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Sweet Potatoes First Stage

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Spearmint Sugarfree Gum

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Sprouted Rolled Oats

A0g sugar

• No added sugar

View details

Frequently asked questions

• Does Red 40 count as added sugar?

  No. Red 40 is a color additive, not a sweetener or sugar. A fruit snack can show 0 g on the Added Sugars line and still list Red 40. Many red-colored snacks also carry 10 to 15 g of added sugars from other ingredients. The dye and the sugar are separate label checks.

• How much Red 40 is safe for a child?

  FDA's ADI is 7 mg per kg per day. A 20 kg child has a 140 mg ceiling. Labels do not print dye milligrams, so parents cannot finish the ADI calculation from a snack wrapper. OEHHA estimated that typical total synthetic dye intake for US children falls below published ADIs, but the behavior studies showed effects below those ADI levels.

• Is FDA banning Red 40?

  In April 2025, FDA announced it will phase out all petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, including Red 40, by end of 2026. Separately, FDA revoked FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine) on January 15, 2025 under the Delaney Clause, with a compliance deadline of January 2027. Red 40 is a different dye from Red 3.

• Does Red 40 cause hyperactivity in children?

  The 2007 Southampton trial included Allura Red in Mix B alongside other dyes and sodium benzoate and found increased hyperactive behavior in some children. OEHHA's 2021 report reviewed dozens of challenge studies and concluded synthetic dyes are associated with adverse behavior in susceptible children at intake levels below published ADIs. FDA states most children show no adverse effect but some may be sensitive.

• Can USDA Organic kids food contain Red 40?

  No. Certified synthetic colors are prohibited in USDA Organic processed food. Organic products use natural colorants such as beet juice, annatto, or turmeric instead. Organic sugar can still add grams to the Added Sugars line.

• Is Red 40 in children's medicine?

  Yes. Lehmkuhler measured Red 40 in children's cold syrups, pain relief liquids, and gummy vitamins. Doses stayed under the ADI, but some syrup formulations delivered more dye in a single dose than a child would get from a typical food day. Dye-free versions of most children's medicines exist.

Related tools and guides

References

1. eCFR. 21 CFR 74.340 FD&C Red No. 40
2. FDA. Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers
3. FDA. Summary of Color Additives for Use in the United States
4. OEHHA, 2021. Health Effects Assessment: Synthetic Food Dyes in Children
5. Lehmkuhler et al., J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2022. Exposures to FD&C dyes from OTC medications and vitamins
6. Lehmkuhler et al., J Food Comp Anal 2022. Levels of FD&C certified food dyes in foods commonly consumed by children
7. FDA, 2025. FDA to Revoke Authorization for the Use of Red No. 3
8. McCann et al., Lancet 2007. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community
9. CDC. Get the Facts: Added Sugars
10. Miller et al., Environmental Health 2022. Potential impacts of synthetic food dyes on activity and attention in children: a review of the human and animal evidence
11. USDA AMS. The National List
12. AAP Policy Statement, 2018. Food Additives and Child Health
13. California Legislature, 2024. California AB 2316 Pupil nutrition: school meals
14. de Oliveira et al., Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024. Synthetic Colors in Food: A Warning for Children's Health
15. Fatima et al., Annals of Medicine and Surgery 2025. Protecting developing brains: urgent need to regulate synthetic food dyes in children's diets
16. Castro Polvorosa et al., 2026. Hydrating on the synthetic rainbow: Prevalence of synthetic food dyes in hydration drinks