U.S. regulators on Wednesday imposed a ban on food products, more than three decades after banning cosmetics.

The United States has banned the use of a synthetic food dye that gives some candies, cakes and some oral medications a cherry-red color because of evidence it causes cancer in lab rats.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday banned the use of Red 3 dye in food, after the dye was banned in cosmetics more than three decades ago.

“Why you would say something can’t be in cosmetics but you can eat it makes no sense to me. I’m glad they’re finally doing what I thought they should have done years ago,” the petitioner , said Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

Consumer rights groups have been pushing for a ban on the dye for years, including filing a petition in 2022 calling for a review of studies showing high exposure to the additive may cause cancer in male mice.

“The FDA cannot approve a food additive or color additive if it is found to cause cancer in humans or animals,” said Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human food at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, regulators say studies in other animals and humans have not shown these effects, and available evidence does not support claims that the dye poses a risk to people when used in food and oral medicines.

Manufacturers using Red 3 in food must reformulate their products by January 15, 2027, and ingestion drug manufacturers must comply with the ban by January 18, 2028.

At a recent U.S. Senate committee hearing, lawmakers grilled FDA Commissioner Robert Califf about the use of food dyes.

“Food safety is a top priority for U.S. candy companies, and we will continue to follow and comply with FDA guidance and safety standards,” said the National Confectionery Association, a trade group.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s top health agency, has often spoken about reducing chemicals in food.