rat

Committee chair Sam Forsyth, Labour, said she opposed introducing rat charges last year and her objection was still there.

The FDA banned the use of red dye No. 3 in foods and medicines sold in the U.S. because it has been shown to cause cancer in rats.

They might have heard something about “Fear Factor,” the crass show on NBC where people ate sheep eyeballs and submerged themselves in containers teeming with rats in hopes of winning $50,000.

While normal exposure to the dye is much lower in humans than in the rats in the studies, US law requires a ban if any link to cancer is found.

The FDA note does state "the way that FD&C Red No. 3 causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans."