Fd&c Reds 40 And 3

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 4 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives - Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 highlighted.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Fd&c Reds 40 And 34
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About Fd&c Reds 40 And 3

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 currently appears in 4 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. Regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups like CSPI weigh cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk -- two related but distinct questions.

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing, stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role, which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Fd&c Reds 40 And 3
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 4 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing Fd&c Reds 40 And 3

A sample of 4 of the 4 indexed products containing Fd&c Reds 40 And 3, with each product's overall safety score.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 safe to eat?

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Fd&c Reds 40 And 3?

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 is found in 4 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 do in food?

Fd&c Reds 40 And 3 serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Citation notes Regulatory status from FDA SAFFA; safety ratings from CSPI Chemical Cuisine; product presence from Open Food Facts. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial.

Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Ingredient figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, and CSPI Chemical Cuisine data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.