Sprinkles Food Dye: Red 3 Is Still on Some Jars

Fact-checked October 2026.

Three of the four sprinkles we read list certified food dyes [1, 3, 4]. Two of them, Wilton Rainbow Jimmies and Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles, list Red 3 [1, 3]. The fourth, Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles, lists only exempt colors [5].

Sprinkles food dye is a label question. Each jar's color line tells you which kind of color is inside. We read five store listings for four jars on October 31, 2026. The Red 3 line is the one to know about now.

Which Sprinkles Have Food Dye?

Here are the four jars, with the colors each listing prints [1, 3, 4, 5].

• Wilton Rainbow Jimmies Sprinkles, as listed on Stop & Shop's website on October 31, 2026: Red 3, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Red 40 [1].
• Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles, as listed on Stop & Shop's website on October 31, 2026: FD&C Yellow 5 Lake, FD&C Red 40 Lake, FD&C Yellow 6 Lake, FD&C Blue 1 Lake, FD&C Red 3 and FD&C Blue 1 [3].
• Betty Crocker Rainbow Nonpareil Sprinkles, as listed on Hannaford's website on October 31, 2026: Vegetable Juice Color, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Red 40 [4].
• Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles, as listed on Harris Teeter's website on October 31, 2026: Colored with Spirulina, Riboflavin, Vegetable Juices and Annatto [5].

Count the certified colors and the jars line up from five to none. Wilton Rainbow Jimmies and Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles list five each. Betty Crocker Rainbow Nonpareils list four, plus vegetable juice color. Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles list none [1, 3, 4, 5].

Harris Teeter's listing for the 6.25 oz Wilton Rainbow Jimmies lists Red 3 too [2]. So two stores show Red 3 for Wilton Rainbow Jimmies.

Store listings can differ from the jar on the shelf. Each retailer's page says the package in hand may differ [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Check the jar you buy.

Is Red 3 Still in Sprinkles?

Red 3 is still on two of the four jars we read. Wilton Rainbow Jimmies and Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles both list Red 3 [1, 3]. Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles list it in plain form, not as a lake [3].

Red 3 is on its way out of food. FDA announced the revocation on January 15, 2025 [7]. Revoked means FDA will no longer allow Red 3 in food [6].

Makers have until January 15, 2027, to stop using Red 3 in food [6]. For ingested drugs, the kind you swallow, the deadline is January 18, 2028 [6].

The jars don't vanish on the deadline. FDA says you could still see Red 3 on a food after it. The food just has to have been made before the deadline [6].

Here's why FDA acted. The Delaney Clause is a 1960 law. It bars FDA from approving a color additive found to cause cancer in people or animals [6].

The data showed cancer in male lab rats exposed to high levels of Red 3 [6]. FDA says the cause was a hormonal mechanism in male rats [6]. A hormonal mechanism is a process driven by hormones. FDA says this way of causing cancer in male rats does not occur in humans [7].

Studies in other animals or in humans did not show the same effect [6]. FDA says there is no evidence that Red 3 causes cancer in humans [6].

FDA adds one more point. People's Red 3 exposure is typically much lower than the amounts that affected male rats [7].

In April 2025, HHS and FDA asked food companies to drop Red 3 early [8]. FDA sent a letter to makers on July 14, 2025. It encouraged them to act "as soon as is practicably possible" [8]. FDA's pledge page repeats that it has encouraged industry to move ahead of the deadline [9].

On a U.S. label, Red 3 appears as "FD&C Red No. 3," "FD&C Red 3" or "Red 3" [6]. FDA says Red 3 is found in certain candy, cakes, cupcakes and cookies [6]. It is also in some frozen desserts, frostings and icings [6].

The same rules apply to imports. Foods imported to the U.S. must meet U.S. requirements [7].

What Do the Other Dyes on Sprinkles Mean?

The rest of the color line splits into two kinds. Certified colors are synthetic, and FDA certifies each batch [18]. Exempt colors come from sources such as vegetables, minerals or animals [18]. They still need FDA approval [18].

A certified color has to be listed by its name. The rule lets makers drop "FD&C" and "No.," so "Red 40" is allowed [10].

A lake has to include the word "Lake" [10]. Under 21 CFR 82.51, a lake starts with a certified color's aluminum or calcium salt [11]. The salt goes onto an alumina base [11]. So the Stop & Shop jar's Red 40 Lake is Red 40 in lake form [3, 11].

Exempt colors have two label forms [10]. One is "Colored with" a color. The other is a color's name plus "color" [10].

Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles use "Colored with" for all four of their colors [5]. Betty Crocker Rainbow Nonpareils use "Vegetable Juice Color" [4]. The Watkins listing says its sprinkles are "free from artificial dyes and colors…" [5].

Each of the four exempt colors on the Watkins jar has an FDA rule. Vegetable juice is pressed from fresh, edible vegetables [12]. Or it's made by soaking dried vegetables in water [12].

FDA's spirulina rule covers spirulina extract, a color allowed in candy and frostings [13]. Riboflavin may be used to color foods generally [14]. FDA's annatto rule covers annatto extract, made from annatto seed [15].

Betty Crocker Rainbow Nonpareil Sprinkles show why you read the whole line. The Betty Crocker jar lists Vegetable Juice Color, an exempt color. It also lists Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6 and Red 40, four certified colors [4]. "Vegetable juice color" on a label doesn't mean the jar has no certified colors.

Two more names sit on the jars we read. Carnauba wax comes from the leaves and buds of the Brazilian wax palm [16]. FDA lists it as GRAS, "generally recognized as safe" [16]. Confectioner's glaze is on every listing except Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

So where do the other dyes stand? Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 are on FDA's six-dye list [9]. FDA is working with industry to end their use by the end of 2027. The company pledges are voluntary [9].

Wilton, Stop & Shop and Watkins aren't on FDA's pledge page, as of October 16 [9]. General Mills, Inc. lists Betty Crocker there, with a pledge marked "In progress" [9]. The Betty Crocker sprinkles listing names Signature Brands, LLC as the maker [4]. We don't know if the pledge covers these sprinkles.

FDA says most children have no adverse effects from foods with color additives [18]. FDA adds that some evidence suggests certain children may be sensitive to them [18]. For the research, see is Red 40 bad for you?.

Is Cake Glitter Edible?

Cake glitter is edible only if it's made to be eaten. FDA advises bakers to avoid glitter and dust products on cakes and other foods [17]. The exception is products made to be edible [17].

The products go by many names. FDA lists luster dust, disco dust, twinkle dust and sparkle dust [17]. Also highlighter, shimmer powder, pearl dust and petal dust [17].

Here's the label test. Edible glitters and dusts must list their ingredients [17]. Common ones are sugar, acacia (gum arabic), maltodextrin, cornstarch and approved colors [17].

Now the other kind. Say the label says only "non-toxic" or "for decorative purposes only," with no ingredient list. FDA says it should not go directly on food [17].

Say you already topped a cake with a glitter that isn't edible. FDA says to remove the glitter before the cake is served [17].

How to Check a Jar of Sprinkles

1. Read the color line and sort each name: certified or exempt [10].
2. Look for Red 3 under any of its three U.S. label names [6]. Two of our four jars list it [1, 3].
3. Treat glitter as a separate product. A "non-toxic" label with no ingredient list means it doesn't go on food [17].
4. Scan the barcode with NutraDetective to see the additives on the label.

We read Halloween candy labels and candy cane labels the same way.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Stop & Shop. Wilton Rainbow Jimmies Sprinkles, 2.5 oz btl (product listing). https://stopandshop.com/groceries/product/wilton-rainbow-jimmies-sprinkles-2-5-oz-btl/336921
2. Harris Teeter. Wilton Rainbow Jimmies Sprinkles, 6.25 oz, UPC 0007089625338 (product listing). https://www.harristeeter.com/p/wilton-rainbow-jimmies-sprinkles/0007089625338
3. Stop & Shop. Stop & Shop Rainbow Sprinkles, 11 oz btl (product listing). https://stopandshop.com/groceries/product/stop-shop-rainbow-sprinkles-11-oz-btl/124580
4. Hannaford. Betty Crocker Rainbow Nonpareil Sprinkles, 2 oz btl (product listing). https://hannaford.com/groceries/product/betty-crocker-rainbow-nonpareil-sprinkles-2-oz-btl/8354
5. Harris Teeter. Watkins Rainbow Decorating Sprinkles, 3.4 oz, UPC 0081372402465 (product listing). https://www.harristeeter.com/p/watkins-rainbow-decorating-sprinkles/0081372402465
6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FD&C Red No. 3. Content current as of October 5, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/fdc-red-no-3
7. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA to Revoke Authorization for the Use of Red No. 3 in Food and Ingested Drugs (Constituent Update). January 15, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugs
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Encourages Food Manufacturers to Accelerate Phasing Out the Use of FD&C Red No. 3 in Foods Before 2027 Deadline. July 14, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging/fda-encourages-food-manufacturers-accelerate-phasing-out-use-fdc-red-no-3-foods-2027-deadline
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum-Based Food Dyes. Content current as of October 16, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/food/color-additives-information-consumers/tracking-food-industry-pledges-remove-petroleum-based-food-dyes
10. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.22, Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives, paragraph (k). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-B/section-101.22
11. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 82.51, Lakes (FD&C). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-82/subpart-B/section-82.51
12. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 73.260, Vegetable juice. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.260
13. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 73.530, Spirulina extract. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.530
14. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 73.450, Riboflavin. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.450
15. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 73.30, Annatto extract. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.30
16. Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 184.1978, Carnauba wax. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-184/subpart-B/section-184.1978
17. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Advises Home and Commercial Bakers to Avoid Use of Non-Edible Food Decorative Products. Content current as of January 4, 2018. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/fda-advises-home-and-commercial-bakers-avoid-use-non-edible-food-decorative-products
18. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers. https://www.fda.gov/food/color-additives-information-consumers/color-additives-questions-and-answers-consumers