Federal regulators this week banned a red food dye long considered a carcinogen. Confectioners like Hershey say they haven't used the ingredient in years.

The FDA banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 based on a petition asking that the agency follow a specific guideline.

For decades, FD&C Red No. 3 has added its vivid cherry-red hue to candies and cupcakes—but its risks have been debated just as long.

Red Dye No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a synthetic food dye that gives foods and drinks a bright red color. It is also sometimes used in oral medicines and dietary supplements. It first was approved for use in food in 1907. It's made from petroleum.

The FDA just announced a ban on red dye 3 in food and drink, following California's lead. Here's a list of some popular foods that use it.

Food companies have two years to get red dye No. 3 out of their products. But other synthetic dyes have also raised concerns, because of behavioral issues in kids. Here's what parents need to consider.

Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) order banning the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food products, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias renewed his call for an overhaul of the rules governing food additives to eliminate toxic chemicals from the food supply,

The FDA’s move comes more than a year after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California Food Safety Act, which bans red dye No. 3 and other substances from being sold in the state.

While it caused cancer in these male rats, the dye does not cause cancer in humans and other animals in the same way, according to other studies. Therefore, “claims that the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in food and in ingested drugs puts people at risk are not supported by the available scientific information,” according to the FDA.