Red 40 (officially Allura Red AC, FD&C Red No. 40) is the most-used food dye in the US — found in cereals, candy, yogurt, fruit snacks, sports drinks, and roughly 36,000 grocery items per the most recent EWG database snapshot. The FDA has certified Red 40 as safe for general food use since 1971. But the regulatory picture for *kids specifically* has shifted in the last two years.
California became the first US state to ban Red 40 in school foods, effective December 31, 2027 (AB 2316, signed September 2024). Six other states have introduced similar bills. The trigger was a 2021 California OEHHA report finding "evidence supporting the relationship between synthetic food dyes and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children, both with and without pre-existing behavioral disorders." The American Academy of Pediatrics has not endorsed a blanket ban, but the AAP's 2018 Council on Environmental Health policy statement specifically flagged synthetic dyes as worth limiting in children's diets pending more research.
What this means for everyday shopping: Red 40 is on the EWG Dirty Dozen Food Chemicals 2024 list and is the dye most consistently called out by pediatric behavioral specialists. If your child has an ADHD diagnosis, a behavioral health flag, or you simply want to reduce exposure, the practical move is to default to dye-free SKUs — they're now widely available across cereals, yogurts, and snacks. Brands like Annie's, Cascadian Farm, Three Wishes, and Magic Spoon avoid Red 40 (and all FD&C dyes) across their kid lines.
How to spot it on a label: Red 40 appears as "Red 40," "Allura Red AC," "FD&C Red No. 40," or "Red No. 40." It's also a component of many "color added" and "artificial color" generic labels — products that don't break out the specific dye usually contain it. The European versions of the same products (Skittles, Lucky Charms, Trix) use plant-based dyes (anthocyanin, paprika, beet juice) because the EU mandates a warning label on Red 40 products that effectively pushed reformulation.