Color Additives: What Consumers Should Know in 2025

Color additives in the United States are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure safety, accurate labeling, and appropriate use across foods, drugs, cosmetics, and certain medical devices.

In 2025, FDA announced plans to phase out petroleum based synthetic dyes from the food supply, proposed revoking the obsolete Orange B listing, and approved three new colors from natural sources to expand options for manufacturers. See FDA announcements from Apr 22, 2025 and Sept 17, 2025, plus the May 9, 2025 approvals: HHS and FDA phase out plan, Orange B proposal, and three new natural colors.

What FDA means by a color additive

A color additive is any dye, pigment, or other substance that is capable of imparting color to a food, drug, cosmetic, or the human body.

Color includes white, black, and gray. Some substances are colorless until they react during use, for example dihydroxyacetone in sunless tanning products.

See FDA’s overview: Color Additives – Information for Consumers.

Classes of color additives

• Straight colors are not mixed or chemically reacted with other substances, for example FD&C Blue No. 1.

• Lakes are made by reacting straight colors with a precipitant on a substrate. Lakes for food use must be made from certified batches and use aluminum cation and aluminum hydroxide. Carmine is an exception that is exempt from certification.

• Mixtures are blends of one or more color additives or non colored diluents without chemical reaction.

More detail is available in FDA’s program pages and eCFR references summarized here: Understanding How FDA Regulates Color Additives.

How FDA regulates color additives

• Pre-approval is mandatory. There is no GRAS pathway for a color additive. New colors and new uses are reviewed through petitions and listed in regulation. See: Understanding How FDA Regulates Color Additives.

• Certification for many synthetic dyes. FDA analyzes a sample from each manufactured batch of certified colors before that batch may be used. See: Color Additives Q&A and Color Certification FAQs.

• Listings control the details. Approvals specify product types, maximum levels, and any conditions, and are codified mainly in 21 CFR Parts 73, 74, and 82. Program portal: FDA Color Additives hub.

• Ongoing oversight. FDA monitors safety signals and misuses and can take enforcement action. See the consumer page above and the Regulatory Status inventory: Color Additive Status List.

Color additives in foods: why they are used

Approved colors can offset color loss from light or heat, correct natural variation, enhance colors that occur naturally, or give identity cues like purple for grape flavor. FDA guidance: Color Additives in Foods and Consumer Q&A.

2025 policy moves to know

• Plan to phase out petroleum based synthetic dyes. Press announcement, April 22, 2025: HHS and FDA plan.

• Orange B delisting proposal. Constituent Update, Sept 17, 2025: Orange B proposal.

• Three new natural source approvals. Press announcement, May 9, 2025: Three natural colors approved.

• Company commitments tracker. FDA’s page compiling voluntary pledges: Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes.
  

How to read labels for colors

• Certified colors appear by name, for example Yellow 5 or Blue 1 Lake.

• Exempt colors may be listed by source, for example vegetable juice for color, spirulina extract, or titanium dioxide when permitted. See FDA’s topic page for TiO2: Titanium Dioxide as a Color Additive in Foods.

• Mixtures may include multiple colors. Ingredient order reflects general formulation order and not necessarily concentration.

FDA databases and portals you can check

• Regulatory Status of Color Additives inventory: Status List.

• Color Additives main portal with laws, regulations, guidance: Program hub.

• Consumer overview pages: Color Additives – Information for Consumers and Color Additives in Foods.

If you think a color additive caused a reaction

Report suspected adverse reactions or complaints to FDA. Start with the instructions on the consumer page: Color Additives – Information for Consumers. Industry obligations are explained on the Reportable Food Registry page.

Practical tips for consumers

1. Scan the ingredient list for names like Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1 Lake, or source names like spirulina extract or vegetable juice for color. See: Color Additives in Foods.

2. If your child is sensitive, choose products without certified colors or with exempt from certification colors, and discuss concerns with your physician. Background: FDA behavioral effects materials.

3. Follow the policy timeline as FDA updates listings and companies reformulate. See: Industry pledges tracker and press announcements linked above.

Further reading

• FDA consumer update: How Safe are Color Additives

• Program portal: FDA Color Additives

• Ingredient programs overview for comparison to food additives and GRAS: Understanding How the FDA Regulates Food Additives and GRAS Ingredients

• Topic pages for specific colors: FD&C Red No. 3 and Titanium Dioxide

Attribution and currency

Links were last checked on November 5, 2025. All policy developments referenced are drawn from FDA announcements and pages linked above.

Beverage Color Glossary

Absorption spectrum: The wavelengths of light a colorant absorbs. Useful for predicting how the color will look under different lighting.

Accelerated stability: Short tests at elevated temperature or light to predict shelf life of color in the finished drink.

Anthocyanins: Plant pigments from sources like grapes and berries. Color shifts with pH. Red in acidic beverages and bluer at higher pH.

Batch certification: FDA test of each manufactured batch of a certified color to confirm identity and purity before use.

Betalains: Pigments from beet. Provide red to purple hues. Sensitive to heat and high oxygen.

Bleeding: Unwanted movement of color from one phase or surface into another. Often controlled by using lakes or emulsions.

Brightness or lightness (L*): A color metric from 0 black to 100 white used in CIELAB.

Caramel color: A class of cooked sugar colors with types I to IV. Provides brown shades and opacity. Flavor impact can be noticeable at high use levels.

Carminic acid and carmine: Red color from cochineal insects. Exempt from certification but must be declared on labels. Allergen and dietary considerations may apply.

Carotenoids: Pigments such as beta carotene and paprika. Yellow to orange. Sensitive to oxidation and light without proper protection.

CIELAB (L*a*b*): A standard color space for measurements. L* is lightness. a* is green to red. b* is blue to yellow.

Clouding agents: Ingredients that add turbidity to give a juice like appearance. Can change perceived color and light scatter.

Color additive: Any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color to food. Includes colors formed by reaction after use.

Color congruence: Match between flavor and color expectations, for example lemon with yellow. Important for consumer acceptance.

Color correction: Small additions of color to offset batch to batch variation in base beverages or juices.

Color drift: Gradual hue or strength change during storage. Often caused by pH shift, oxidation, or light exposure.

Concentration factor: The ratio of color strength in a concentrate versus ready to drink format. Used for scale up math.

Dosage or use level: The amount of color added, often expressed in ppm or mg per liter. Always stay within regulatory limits for the specific color and product.

Emulsion color: Oil soluble color dispersed as small droplets in water with emulsifiers. Improves stability and reduces ringing.

Exempt from certification color: Color additives from mineral, plant, or animal sources that do not require batch certification. Still must be listed and used under FDA conditions.

FD&C color: A certified color approved for foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Requires batch certification.

Flocculation: Clumping or visible specks of color in the beverage. Can result from pH shift, calcium levels, or incompatible gums.

Heat stability: Ability of a color to resist degradation during HTST, UHT, or tunnel pasteurization.

HPLC strength: Assay of dye or pigment content used to determine potency for dosing.

Hue: What we call the basic color family, such as red, yellow, or blue. Often tracked by the a* and b* values.

Lakes: Insoluble pigments made by precipitating a certified dye onto an aluminum substrate. Useful for coatings, fat phases, and to reduce bleeding.

Masking: Use of color or cloud to hide natural variation or sediment in a beverage.

Metamerism: Two colors that match under one light but not another. Manage by checking color in daylight and store lighting.

Migration: Movement of color into closures, liners, or packaging. Reduced by proper choice of resin and use of lakes or emulsions.

Oxidation: Reaction with oxygen that can fade carotenoids and other pigments. Controlled with antioxidants, low oxygen processing, and barrier packaging.

pH stability: Sensitivity of a color to acidity. Anthocyanins are very pH dependent. Curcumin and spirulina show better stability in certain pH ranges.

Photostability: Resistance to light induced fading. Improved by light barrier bottles, UV absorbers, or protective packaging.

Placement order: Position of the color in the ingredient list. It reflects formulation order, not necessarily exact concentration.

Polymerized color: Pigments that form larger complexes over time. Can darken or shift hue in the bottle.

Precipitation: Visible settling of color or pigment particles. Reduced by proper solubilization or emulsification and by controlling minerals.

Primary packaging: The bottle or can that directly contacts the beverage. Light, oxygen, and resin choices affect color stability.

Process compatibility: How well a color survives the manufacturing steps, for example shear, heat, and homogenization.

Ring formation: Color band at the neck of a bottle. Often caused by creaming of emulsions. Reduced by correct droplet size and density matching.

Shelf life: Time that color stays within a specified delta E and remains sensorially acceptable.

Solubility: Whether a color is water soluble, oil soluble, or dispersible. Drives selection for clear versus cloudy drinks.

Spectrophotometer: Instrument that measures absorbance or transmittance to quantify color strength and hue.

Standard curve: Calibration curve for a colorant that links absorbance to concentration. Used to dose consistently.

Titanium dioxide: White opacifier used where permitted. Adds opacity and masks particulates. Check current regulatory status for food uses.

Translucency and opacity: How much light passes through the beverage. Affects perceived color strength in the package.

Turbidity (NTU): Numerical measure of haze. Higher NTU increases light scatter and can make colors look stronger.

Water activity: Relevant for dry beverage mixes. Affects color stability and caking in powders.

Whitening: Addition of white pigments or clouds to lighten a color without changing flavor expectations.

ΔE (Delta E): Single number that expresses overall color difference between two samples. Useful for release specs and shelf life limits.

Interactions and compatibility notes

Acids and buffers: Control pH which can shift anthocyanin hue and curcumin stability.

Ascorbic acid: Antioxidant that can protect carotenoids but may bleach some natural blues. Test in your formula.

Calcium and hardness: Can cause precipitation with some hues or with certain hydrocolloids.

Chelators such as EDTA: Bind metal ions that catalyze oxidation of carotenoids and chlorophyllins.

Emulsifiers: Stabilize emulsion colors. Level and type affect droplet size and creaming.

Hydrocolloids: Gums that change viscosity and suspension. Can reduce ringing and settling.

Preservatives: Some can interact with natural pigments. Verify in stability studies.

Sugars and sweeteners: Influence Maillard browning during heat steps and can shift perceived color.

Regulatory and labeling pointers

21 CFR Parts 73, 74, and 82: Main listings for exempt colors, certified colors, and related specifications.

Declaration: Name certified colors by specific FD&C name. Exempt colors may be declared by source such as vegetable juice for color.

Dietary claims: Carmine is not vegan or kosher unless specifically certified. Spirulina and some plant colors may support vegan claims. Always verify.

Limits and conditions of use: Each listed color has specific maximum levels and product categories. Follow the regulation and any analytical specifications.

Allergen and sensitivity notes: Carmine can cause reactions in sensitive individuals. Provide clear labeling where required.