Probably like the Red dye prohibited in food, but used for maraschino cherries for a while. After all, why mess with a good thing?


"FD&C Red Number 1 and 4, and FD&C Yellow Number 1 through 4 were removed from the approved list in 1960. The ban on Red Number 4 was lifted in 1965 to allow the coloring of maraschino cherries, which by then were considered mainly decorative and not a foodstuff. In 1975, William F. Randolph of the FDA ruled that if an "artificial bitter almond flavor or any synthetic flavor is used, the product must be labeled artificial or artificially flavored." The following year, the ban on Red #4 was reinstated.

As of 2010, modern American Maraschino cherries typically use FD&C Red 40 as a colorant."