The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it will let companies use "no artificial colors" claims on products without petroleum-based dyes, opening up use of the claim to products with natural colors.
The decision, according to a press release, is intended to incentivize companies to transition away from petroleum-based dyes. The change will allow products with colors derived from natural sources to claim they were produced without artificial coloring.
“We acknowledge that calling colors derived from natural sources ‘artificial’ might be confusing for consumers and a hindrance for companies to explore alternative food coloring options,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a press release. “We’re taking away that hindrance and making it easier for companies to use these colors in the foods our families eat every day.”
A letter Makary and Kyle Diamantas, FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods, sent to manufacturers Tuesday said the agency has been working to phase out the use of petroleum-based dyes and recognizes that the current definition of "artificial color" "may create challenges transitioning away from those."
In the press release, the agency also announced it had approved beetroot red and spirulina extract as color options.
For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.
