Health Canada says a synthetic dye newly banned from the U.S. food supply does not pose a health risk to the general population in Canada.
The federal agency said it won’t echo a ban by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unless new information comes to light about the additive known as Red 3.
Health Canada said it reviewed a safety evaluation conducted by a joint committee for the United Nations and World Health Organization in 2018.
The joint UN/WHO committee looked at studies that involved humans and animals, and found no safety concerns for the dye as a food additive.
The FDA banned the dye over potential cancer risk, noting two studies found it caused cancer in lab rats with a “rat-specific hormonal mechanism” that does not exist in humans.
It said the measure was a “matter of law,” because a legal provision requires it to ban food additives …