With a global market valued at an estimated $1.45 billion (according to the August 2010 “The Global Market for Food Colours” report by Leatherhead Food Research), food colors comprise a sizable share of the world’s food industry, with usage of 40,000-50,000 tons annually. Even in the midst of a global economic downturn and a dip in annual growth levels in food color sales, the segment is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2015, a 10% increase from current levels. In terms of usage, foods account for the lion’s share of color applications, some 67% per Leatherhead, followed by the 28% found in soft drinks and 5% in alcoholic beverages.
Accounting for a large share of the segment’s growth has been the continued interest in natural colors. Between 2005-2009, the global market for natural colors jumped nearly 35%. Nevertheless, food colorings in general have found themselves something of a target of late.