FDA moves forward with natural food colors amid push to eliminate harmful additives

USA – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract and calcium phosphate, as new natural color additives, aligning with the nation’s effort to phase out petroleum-based dyes.

These new color additives are meant to expand the palette of available colors from natural sources for manufacturers to safely use in food.

The move supports the broader initiative led by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy to “Make America Healthy Again”.

“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,” HHS Secretary Kennedy said.

Galdieria extract blue

One of the recently approved color additive petitions includes the Galdieria extract blue, a blue color derived from the unicellular red algae Galdieria sulphuraria. 

This color additive has been approved for use in nonalcoholic beverages and beverage bases, fruit drinks, fruit smoothies, fruit juices, and vegetable juices.

It is also permitted in dairy-based products such as smoothies, milkshakes, flavored milks, yogurt drinks, milk-based meal replacement and nutritional beverages.

Additional approved uses include breakfast cereal coatings, hard candy, soft candy and chewing gum, flavored frostings, ice cream and frozen dairy desserts, and frozen fruits.

The color additive may also be used in water ices, popsicles, gelatin desserts, puddings, custards, whipped cream, yogurt, and both frozen and liquid creamers, including non-dairy alternatives, as well as whipped toppings.

The petition was submitted by Fermentalg, a biotechnology company based in France.

Butterfly pea flower extract

The butterfly pea flower extract produces a blue color used to achieve a range of shades, including bright blues, intense purple, and natural greens. 

Produced through the water extraction of the dried flower petals of the butterfly pea plant, this color additive is already approved for use in sport drinks, fruit drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, alcoholic beverages, dairy drinks, ready to drink teas, nutritional beverages, gums, candy, coated nuts, ice creams, and yogurt. 

Following the approval of a petition by St. Louis-based Sensient Colors LLC, its use is expanded to coloring ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato chips (restructured or baked), plain corn chips, tortilla chips, and multigrain chips.

Calcium phosphate

Calcium phosphate, a white color additive, has been approved for use in ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar, and sugar for coated candies. 

The petition was filed by Innophos Inc. of Cranbury, New Jersey.

Regulatory momentum for natural additives

The FDA staff have been moving quickly to expedite the publication of these decisions, underscoring their serious intent to transition away from petroleum-based dyes in the food supply and provide new colors from natural sources.

“On April 22, I said the FDA would soon approve several new color additives and would accelerate our review of others. I’m pleased to report that promises made, have been promises kept,” said FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, M.D., M.P.H. 

However, while Scott Faber, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental health organization, commended the FDA for taking a step forward with these approvals, he emphasized that more work remains to be done.

“While it’s good news that the FDA has acted on industry petitions to approve natural colors, it’s bad news, however, that the FDA has failed to act on our petitions to ban harmful ingredients in food, including chemicals linked to cancer” and other health issues, Faber said in a statement to CNN.

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