Red 40
PlainFoodSafe flags Red 40 as a synthetic dye. CSPI Chemical Cuisine rates it “Avoid.” It appears in 21,594 indexed US food products. FDA action is dated 2027-10-01.
1/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine
How common is Red 40 vs other flagged additives?
Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives - Red 40 highlighted.
Safety Concerns
synthetic_dye
Safety Assessment
Red 40 has a lower safety score (1/5), indicating notable concerns from food safety researchers or advocacy organizations. Review the safety concerns above for specific details. Individuals with sensitivities should consider alternatives. CSPI recommends avoiding this ingredient.
What the Data Says About Red 40
Red 40 currently appears in 21,594 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 1/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status - currently "Approved (certified color)" - with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification of "Avoid." An Avoid rating marks the widest gap between the two frameworks: CSPI's advocacy-side review flags a level of concern that FDA's regulatory-status clearance alone doesn't capture.
Red 40 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.
Documented concerns for Red 40 include: synthetic_dye Consumers with diagnosed sensitivities, pregnant individuals, and parents of young children generally benefit from reviewing product-level detail pages to see the specific items in our catalog that contain this ingredient.
Safety Profile at a Glance
| Source | Classification | Year |
|---|---|---|
| FDA SAFFA | Approved (certified color) | 2024 |
| CSPI Chemical Cuisine | Avoid | 2024 |
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 1/5 | 2026 |
| Product footprint | 21,594 products | OpenFoodFacts |
FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.
Products Containing Red 40
A sample of 16 of the 21,594 indexed products containing Red 40, with each product's overall safety score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Red 40 safe to eat? ▼
Red 40 has a safety score of 1/5. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) rates it as "Avoid." FDA status: Approved (certified color). Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.
What products contain Red 40? ▼
Red 40 is found in 21,594 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.
What does Red 40 do in food? ▼
Red 40 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.