When I was a kid I remember Red Dye #2 was banned because it was carcinogenic or something. I think it might have been used in Funny Face Chinese Cherry. The following are the commonly used food dyes.
Red No. 40 (Allura Red): A dark red dye that is used in sports drinks, candy, condiments and cereals.
Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine): A lemon-yellow dye that is found in candy, soft drinks, chips, popcorn and cereals.
Yellow No. 6 (Sunset Yellow): An orange-yellow dye that is used in candy, sauces, baked goods and preserved fruits.
Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue): A greenish-blue dye used in ice cream, canned peas, packaged soups, popsicles and icings.
Blue No. 2 (Indigo Carmine): A royal blue dye found in candy, ice cream, cereal and snacks.
Are the dyes numbered sequentially as they are invented? Why are we up to Red Dye #40. Is this the 40th iteration and all the earlier ones were really bad for you or something?
It looks more or less consecutive to me. 40 is just 4 with a suffix.
Compare the international numbers: 100 (including 100(i) and 100(ii), 101 (includes 101(i), 101(ii), and 101(iii)), 102, 103, 104, 105 is banned in Europe and the USA, 106, etc. Some numbers get banned or delisted or split into alphabetical or Roman numeral suffixes, but it is essentially consecutive.
The list on the wiki link does not list dozens of colors like the international list, though; is it because some of them are not FD&C certified? E.g, E100 is Natural Yellow 3 (approved in the US), E155 is Food Brown 3 (banned in a bunch of countries including the US), etc. Then there are entries like E160d which is FDA approved but I don’t see a US number…