Food Dive reported the development on 2026-02-05. Companies can now employ the label when using natural dyes — a move meant to speed the transition away from synthetic colors.
The report places the news in a wider commercial context. The FDA on Thursday made it easier for food and beverage companies to say their products are free from artificial colors as the agency pushes the industry to accelerate a shift toward natural dyes. Companies will now have the flexibility to claim their products contain “no artificial colors” as long as they don’t use petroleum-based dyes.
For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. The FDA said the move gives companies more options to transition to natural colors. The agency also approved beetroot red as a new natural color source option and will permit expanded use of spirulina extract as an alternative to synthetic blue dye.
Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. “This is real progress,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “We are making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to help Americans eat real food and Make America Healthy Again.”.
Food Dive
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