FDA Approves 3 Natural Color Additives Amid Push to Remove Artificial Food Coloring

The federal government is committed to replacing synthetic food dyes in the nation’s food supply with natural alternatives by the end of 2026.

Bottles containing a variety of colored liquids sit on a shelf in a lab at Sensient Technologies Corp., a color additive manufacturing company, in St. Louis., on April 2, 2025. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three color additives derived from natural sources for use in food products, responding to increasing public concern over the health risks associated with synthetic dyes.

The agency on May 9 approved two new natural color additive options and expanded approval of a third one. They are Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and calcium phosphate.

“The FDA determines whether an additive is safe to use by considering the projected human dietary exposure to the color additive, the additive’s toxicological data, and other relevant information, such as published literature,” the agency said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made phasing out synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply a centerpiece of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, hailed the decision as “a major step” toward that goal.

“For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks,” he said in a statement. “We’re removing these dyes and approving safe, natural alternatives—to protect families and support healthier choices.”

The FDA said the final rule will be published in the Federal Register on May 12 and will take effect in June.

The decision follows an April announcement by Kennedy and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary outlining their plan to replace synthetic food dyes in the U.S. food supply with natural ingredients by the end of 2026, primarily through voluntary action by the food industry. Rather than imposing outright bans on products that cause health concerns, Makary said that the agency is accelerating the review and approval of natural alternatives.

The officials did say they would revoke authorization for two artificial dyes, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, and fast-track the revocation of Red 3, a food color additive banned in January after laboratory tests on rats showed potential cancer risks.

The Newly Approved Natural Dyes

Galdieria extract blue is derived from Galdieria sulphuraria, a red microalgae found in highly acidic volcanic springs. It carries a water-soluble blue pigment called C-Phycocyanin, according to Fermentalg, a French biotech company that petitioned the FDA for its approval in 2021.

The dye is approved for a wide range of products, including fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, flavored milks, yogurt drinks, milk-based meal replacements, breakfast cereals, candies, chewing gum, frostings, ice creams, popsicles, gelatin desserts, puddings, and dairy or non-dairy creamers and whipped toppings.

Butterfly pea flower extract is a blue color that can produce a range of shades, including bright blues, intense purple, and natural greens, according to the FDA. It is made by extracting pigment from the dried petals of the butterfly pea plant, which is native to and widely found in the southern United States.

It was previously approved for beverages and frozen treats, and the FDA has now expanded its permitted uses to include cereals, crackers, snack mixes, hard pretzels, plain potato and corn chips, tortilla chips, and multigrain chips. The expanded use stems from a February 2024 petition submitted by Sensient Colors, a major global supplier of food dyes headquartered in St. Louis.

Calcium phosphate is a naturally occurring mineral made of calcium and phosphorus, and has been newly approved as a white colorant for ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar, and coating sugars for candy. This approval followed a 2023 petition by Innophos Inc., a New Jersey-based mineral solutions company.