Consumer preference is shifting away from petroleum-derived artificial food color to natural food coloring, on the basis of reasons including safety, transparency, and sustainability. It has been witnessed in consumers, regulators, and food and beverage manufacturers. Natural food dyes are trending as consumers become more sensitive to sensitivities and potential health impacts created by artificial colorings, such as hyperactivity among children and allergic responses among sensitive parties. Food and beverage regulatory bodies across the globe have responded with tighter labeling regimes or new prohibitions, pushing the food and beverage industry towards plant food. This is driven by shifting customer values and health issues.
The global natural food colors market is set to grow sizably, fueled by regulatory limits on artificial dyes and increasing consumer affinity for natural and healthier products. High growth will be witnessed in the Asia-Pacific region, with market revenue from USD 346.4 million in 2022 growing to USD 717.3 million in 2030, corresponding to a CAGR of 9.5%. It is also fueled by widespread high-volume uptake across numerous industries.
Formulation change to accommodate natural colors is with technical challenges. They are mostly less stable than synthetic colorants, are sensitive to heat, light and pH. Technical innovation is overcoming these issues. Techniques like microencapsulation, nanoemulsions, and refined extraction processes have enhanced heat, light, and pH stability. These innovations preserve color, improve shelf life, and provide new possibilities for natural color in demanding applications. Breakthroughs in encapsulation and ingredient delivery systems allow natural colorants to preserve strength under different process conditions. Regulatory Pressure on Synthetic Colors
Certain artificial colors are banned or stric labeled in most areas.
EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, has outlawed food dyes linked to hyperactivity in children.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration prohibited a sequence of petroleum-based dye products, such as FD&C Red No. 3, in cosmetics and certain foods, on grounds of safety. California has also passed a bill prohibiting the use of a number of artificial food colorings in children’s food for hyperactivity and other health causes by 2027. The regulatory environment forces the industry to use plant-based colors such as anthocyanins, carotenoids, and betalains. Sustainability and Consumer Perception Natural dyes are usually derived from renewable crops, vegetable and fruit processing waste or by-products, such as skin, seeds, and pulp.
Use of co-products in this way minimizes food waste and improves circular economy operations. A case in point is grape skin, to be used for anthocyanin pigments, which often comes from wine waste production, and carrot pomace can be processed to produce beta-carotene. The method, apart from reducing the environmental footprint, also reinforces agricultural value chains as it improves farmers’ and processors’ revenues.
The movement towards natural colors in foods is the intersection of regulatory, technological, and consumer forces. Formulation hurdles remain, but ongoing progress in pigment stabilization is making natural options increasingly viable to large-scale production.
Vinayak Ingredients (INDIA) Pvt. Ltd. has over 24+ years of experience in delivering high-quality Food Additives. We focus and manufacture products obtained from Natural sources such as Natural Colors, Spray-dried Fruit and Vegetable Powders & Natural Extracts which are eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
