- The FDA approved three new natural food color additives — galdieria extract, butterfly pea flower extract, and calcium phosphate — to replace synthetic petroleum-based dyes.
- This move follows Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s April announcement to phase out synthetic dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5, with a national standard and timeline coming soon.
- Industry leaders warn the transition may lead to higher food prices and limited product availability due to the complexity and cost of reformulating with natural colors.
In late April, Robert Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced plans to phase out petroleum-based artificial colors from the nation’s food supply. That includes Red 3 and 40, Blue 1 and 2, Yellow 5 and 6, and Green 3, all of which are used in thousands of products found on grocery store shelves.
Though Kennedy didn’t provide extensive details on how his department plans to completely phase out dyes, a press release from his department stated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will establish a “national standard and timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives.” And now, it seems it’s making good on at least part of that promise.
On May 9, the FDA issued a release stating it had approved three new color additive petitions to “expand the palette of available colors from natural sources” that manufacturers can use.
“Today we take a major step to Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy shared in the release. “For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks. We’re removing these dyes and approving safe, natural alternatives—to protect families and support healthier choices.”
Martin A. Makary, the commissioner of the FDA, added that his staff has been “moving quickly to expedite the publication of these decisions, underscoring our serious intent to transition away from petroleum-based dyes in the food supply and provide new colors from natural sources.”
Specifically, the FDA approved the use of galdieria extract blue, a blue color derived from the “unicellular red algae Galdieria sulphuraria.” It is now approved for use in a wide range of products, including nonalcoholic beverages, beverage bases like fruit drinks and smoothies, breakfast cereal coatings, hard candy, flavored frostings, ice cream, yogurt, and liquid creamers.
Then there’s butterfly pea flower extract, another blue color that can be used to “achieve a range of shades including bright blues, intense purple, and natural greens,” the statement shared. The FDA noted that it’s already approved for use in products such as sports drinks, alcoholic beverages, dairy drinks, and ready-to-drink teas, but now it can also be used in ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, and chips.
Finally, the FDA approved calcium phosphate, which is a white compound that can now be used in ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar, and sugar for coated candies.
Fresh Hues: The FDA’s Newly Approved Natural Colorants
- Galdieria Extract (Blue): A bright blue dye derived from Galdieria sulphuraria, a unicellular red algae. The FDA has approved it for use in a wide range of products, including nonalcoholic beverages, cereals, hard candy, frostings, ice cream, yogurt, and creamers.
- Butterfly Pea Flower Extract (Blue to Purple): A natural colorant extracted from the butterfly pea flower that produces a deep blue hue. It is pH-sensitive, turning purple or pink in acidic environments, which allows it to create a range of shades depending on the food or drink it’s used in. The FDA expanded its approved uses to include snacks like chips, crackers, pretzels, and cereals.
- Calcium Phosphate (White): A naturally occurring mineral used to create a white color in food products. The FDA approved it for use in ready-to-eat chicken products, doughnut sugar, sugar for coated candies, and white candy melts.
The announcement noted that “once the FDA approves a color additive petition, any manufacturer can use the coloring for the approved uses,” which means you could see butterfly pea flower in your favorite candy one day. However, “one day” is the key term. As the International Association of Color Manufacturers said in a statement in April following Kennedy’s announcement, the process of switching color formulations is “neither simple nor immediate, and the resulting supply disruptions will limit access to familiar, affordable grocery items.”
Furthermore, Amy Agallar, vice president of investor relations and treasurer at Sensient, shared with CNN that all of your favorite, colorful treats could get more expensive as a result of these decisions.
“Natural colors can be more expensive from a cost-in-use perspective depending on the raw ingredient being used,” Agallar said. “The raw ingredients can vary due to many factors such as availability, time to harvest, and color availability from the raw material. The natural color needed to replace a synthetic color can be ten times that of a synthetic product.”
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