W.A. Bean & Sons in Bangor announced last week that their iconic red snapper hot dogs are now being made with all-natural food coloring, in advance of a federal ban on artificial red dye in foods.
“It was important to us as the last makers of the official Maine red snapper to make sure we were taking the lead in this,” said W.A. Bean Director of Sales Sean Smith. “We were working very hard behind the scenes, and we think we’ve got a winner here: absolutely no taste difference, same snap and red snapper color. You would not be able to tell the difference.”
Smith said the newly formulated red snappers are now available at the retail store at company headquarters, and will be on retail store shelves in the next week or two.
Smith said the red snapper packaging will make clear that the dogs are now free of artificial dye, and carmine extract will be included on the ingredient list. Carmine extract is made from dried and crushed female cochineal insects, and used widely to color foods like yogurt, candy, juice and imitation crab meat.
In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on Red Dye No. 3 in foods because high doses of it caused cancer in lab rats. The FDA gave food manufacturers until Jan. 15, 2027, to remove the dye from their products.
W.A. Bean had already started replacing its artificial coloring with natural dye at the time of the FDA’s announcement. The company has been working toward this changeover for more than three years, according to Smith.
Smith said the carmine extract is “a lot more expensive,” but for now, the price of their red snappers will stay the same. “In order to maintain this niche product, it’s something we’re going to have to do. And we’re happy to do it. This is something we feel strongly about.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Tim Cebula can be reached at tcebula@pressherald.com.