FDA approves three food colours from natural sources

As part of its efforts to phase out synthetic food colouring, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted three new colour additive petitions, which will help to expand the palette of available colours from natural sources for food manufacturers.

“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,” said US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

In April 2025, the HHS and FDA announced their decision to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the nation’s food supply by the end of next year. Since then, more US food manufacturers have committed to removing them within the time frame. 

The FDA has now been quick to respond with the approval of three new colours from natural sources to help expedite the transition away from petroleum-based dyes in the nation’s food supply. The three approved colours are as follows:

1. Galdieria extract blue is a blue colour derived from the unicellular red algae Galdieria sulphuraria. The FDA has approved the colour additive for use in non-alcoholic beverages and beverage bases, fruit drinks, fruit smoothies, fruit juices, vegetable juices, dairy-based smoothies, milkshakes and flavoured milks, yoghurt drinks, milk-based meal replacement and nutritional beverages, breakfast cereal coatings, hard candy, soft candy and chewing gum, flavoured frostings, ice cream and frozen dairy desserts, frozen fruits, water ices and popsicles, gelatine desserts, puddings and custards, whipped toppings (including non-dairy alternatives), and whipped cream, yoghurt, frozen or liquid creamers (including non-dairy alternatives). The petition was submitted by French company Fermentalg.
2. Butterfly pea flower extract is also a blue colour that can be 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 colour 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 yoghurt. The new approval of the recent petition by St. Louis-based Sensient Colors LLC expands the approved use for colouring ready-to-eat cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato chips (restructured or baked), plain corn chips, tortilla chips and multigrain chips.
3. Calcium phosphate is a white colour 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.

Once the FDA approves a colour additive petition, any manufacturer can use the colouring in the US for the approved uses.

Image credit: iStock.com/Magda Tymczyj