The U.S. on Wednesday banned the use of a synthetic food dye that gives some candies, cakes and certain oral medications a cherry-red color, following evidence that the dye causes cancer in laboratory rats.

The Food and Drug Administration has said it is banning the use of Red No. 3, a synthetic dye that has long been used in the U.S. to color certain foods, such as candies and colored beverages, as well as some oral medicines and supplements.

Red dye No. 3 has been permissible for use in food despite the Delaney Clause of the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The clause, in part, “prohibits the FDA from approving a color additive that is ingested if it causes cancer in animals or humans when ingested,” according to the agency .

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday proposed requiring new nutrition labels on the front of food and beverage products, a long-awaited move aimed at changing eating habits associated with soaring rates of obesity and diet-related illness that are responsible for a million deaths each year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new rule requiring bold, easy-to-read nutrition labels on the front of food and beverage packages. These labels, which would highlight content of sugar,

The labels will also include new information about the product's level of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, categorizing them as “low,” “medium,” or “high.”Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.