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FDA Approves Three Natural Food Dyes in Push to Replace Synthetics

The agency greenlit new uses for Galdieria extract blue, butterfly pea flower extract, and calcium phosphate as part of a broader initiative to phase out petroleum-based dyes by 2026.

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Washington, as Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., listen.
The flower petals of the butterfly pea flower plant provide a vibrant blue hue to foods and beverages.
FILE - 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 Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Overview

  • The FDA approved two new natural color additives, Galdieria extract blue and butterfly pea flower extract, and expanded the use of calcium phosphate in food products.
  • Galdieria extract blue is now permitted in items like fruit juices, smoothies, candy, and breakfast cereals.
  • Butterfly pea flower extract's use has been extended to ready-to-eat cereals, chips, and snack mixes.
  • Calcium phosphate has been approved for applications including ready-to-eat chicken products and sugar coatings for candies.
  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the approvals as a step toward eliminating synthetic dyes, with voluntary commitments from manufacturers like Tyson Foods to reformulate products by the 2026 target.