A food’s “look” is important and products that fail to make a good first impression are likely to stay on store shelves. Before Sir William Perkin discovered the first synthetic dye in 1856, natural colors from herbs, fruits and spices were used to enhance food appearance1. Synthetic colors quickly replaced natural colors because they were less expensive, more stable and had eye-popping quality/intensity. Synthetic colors have dominated the color additive market for many decades, but that may be about to change. Consumers are showing renewed interest in natural colors as part of the natural ingredients trend and from lingering doubts about the safety of some synthetics. Manufacturers are responding to this increased consumer demand and benefiting from technological advances that have made natural colors less expensive, more stable and more vibrant than the first generation predecessors. Another reason for the move towards natural colors is that currently permitted artificial colors may be approaching the acceptable daily intake (ADI) limits permitted in the U.S. and/or Europe.
Colors derived from “natural sources” are not exempt from regulation, even though they are natural constituents of foods. In both Europe and the U.S., colors derived from “natural sources” are still subject to existing regulations for color additives. The government agencies responsible for regulating color additives in Europe (EFSA) and the U.S. (FDA) both allow the use of a number of substances to impart color. The agencies sometimes differ on use restrictions, which color additives or concentrations of color additives are permitted or require different labeling or standards for the additives. Food manufacturers should keep abreast of regulatory actions by both agencies if they want to sell the same product in multiple markets, without reformulating.