The food industry just got caught red-handed. Literally.
Red No. 3—an artificial dye that’s been linked to cancer in lab animals since the 1990s—has finally been banned by the FDA. After decades of inertia, the agency pulled the plug on a chemical that’s been coloring candies, drinks, and childhood memories in a shade of synthetic danger.
But here’s the real problem: it took over thirty years. Thirty years of exposure, despite scientific warnings. Thirty years of allowing a known risk to masquerade as harmless fun. Thirty years where “convenience” and “profit” were louder than principle.
This isn’t just about a food dye. It’s about leadership.
Every leader—whether in government, business, or life—faces this question: Do you act when it’s convenient, or do you act when it’s right? The FDA didn’t suddenly uncover new data. The evidence against Red No. 3 has been sitting in plain sight since 1990. What changed? Pressure. Public scrutiny. Momentum from people outside the system who refused to accept silence as safety.
We often assume that risk is the enemy. But the real threat is normalized risk—the kind that becomes invisible simply because it’s familiar. Red No. 3 wasn’t hidden. It was printed right on the label. And we let it slide.
Think bigger: how many “Red No. 3s” are hiding in your leadership decisions? What policies, people, or practices are you still tolerating—just because they’re legacy? Just because they’re profitable? Just because nobody’s screaming yet?
High performance isn’t about how fast you move. It’s about how bravely you choose.
Stop painting over problems with artificial color. Confront the uncomfortable. Retire the toxic. Lead like someone’s health depends on it—because it does.
The truth was always there. The only question is: what are you still pretending not to see?