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Saudi Ambassador to US Discusses WAVE Initiative

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, discussed the WAVE initiative.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, discussed the WAVE initiative.
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Saudi Ambassador to US Discusses WAVE Initiative

The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, discussed the WAVE initiative.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, discussed the WAVE initiative.

The Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, has discussed the WAVE initiative to accelerate ocean regeneration efforts, SPA said on Thursday.
The initiative was launched Wednesday in cooperation between the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII Institute) and the Ministry of Energy and its ecosystem during the seventh edition of the FII held in Riyadh from 24-26 October.
Princess Reema bint Bandar, a member of the Board of Trustees of the FII Institute, said the initiative seeks to support international efforts with regard to ensuring ocean regeneration as well as restoring oceans’ ecological balance and preserving their sustainability.
This initiative comes in light of the oceans vital role in maintaining ecological and climate balance and their significant impact on the global economy.
The initiative serves as a platform to connect concerned stakeholders worldwide and enhance their efforts in this field through a set of awareness programs.
WAVE will also seek to establish digital databases, accelerate innovation, endorse scientific efforts and build supportive partnerships to explore solutions that address pollution and restore ocean ecological balance.

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US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
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US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP

Outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced a ban on Red Dye No 3, a controversial food and drug coloring long known to cause cancer in animals.

Decades after scientific evidence first raised alarm, Red 3, as it is also called, is currently used in nearly 3,000 food products in the United States, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

"FDA is revoking the authorized uses in food and ingested drugs of FD&C Red No 3 in the color additive regulations," said a document from the Department of Health and Human Services, published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The decision follows a petition filed in November 2022 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups, which cited the "Delaney Clause" -- a provision mandating the prohibition of any color additive shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Notably, the FDA determined as early as 1990 that Red 3 should be banned in cosmetics because of its link to thyroid cancer in lab rats.

However, the additive continued to be used in foods, largely due to resistance from the food industry. Manufacturers of maraschino cherries, for example, relied on Red 3 to maintain the iconic red hue of their products.

It's also present in thousands of candies, snacks and fruit products.

The United States is one of the last major economies to take action on the dye. The European Union prohibited its use in 1994, with similar bans implemented in Japan, China, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

CSPI hailed the decision as overdue and expressed hope it would lead to further action against other potentially harmful chemicals in food.

"They don't add any nutritional value, they don't preserve the food -- they're just there to make food look pretty," Thomas Galligan, a scientist with CSPI, told AFP.

"There's growing discussion across the political spectrum about food additives and chemicals, which reflects ongoing failures by the FDA."