Beyond Petroleum-Based Dyes: Navigating the Shift to Natural Food Colors

The era of petroleum-based artificial food dyes in the United States is drawing to a close. In April 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a nationwide phase-out of all synthetic food colorants derived from petrochemicals, aiming to eliminate them from the food supply by the end of 2026. This landmark decision marks a turning point for food manufacturers and consumers alike. While it addresses growing safety concerns, it also presents a complex challenge: finding effective natural alternatives that can deliver the vibrant colors consumers expect, without compromising product quality or economic viability.

What the FDA’s Phase-Out Means for the Industry

The FDA’s phase-out specifically targets dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1, commonly found in candies, beverages, snacks, and processed foods. Studies have increasingly linked these dyes to potential behavioral and health concerns, particularly in children. The FDA’s decision follows years of advocacy from public health groups and a patchwork of state-level legislation attempting to restrict artificial dyes.

Food companies now face a clear deadline to reformulate hundreds of products. The challenge is not only technical—finding natural dyes that match synthetics’ intensity, stability, and cost-effectiveness—but also strategic. Reformulation affects branding, supply chains, consumer perception, and regulatory compliance. Companies that treat this as more than a compliance issue will be better positioned to lead the next generation of clean-label innovation.

Lessons from Global Markets: Natural Colors Can Scale

Europe and the UK have restricted synthetic dyes for over a decade. Most manufacturers reformulated rather than accept the mandatory warning labels, replacing petrochemical dyes with plant-, fruit-, and mineral-based alternatives. Today, the European market is a model of large-scale adoption of natural colorants.

The key takeaway is that natural dyes can work at scale and that consumer expectations can evolve if change is handled thoughtfully.

In the U.S., some companies have already moved in this direction. PepsiCo and Kellogg’s, for instance, have begun transitioning to natural colors. However, as the FDA mandate accelerates this trend, companies of all sizes must now catch up.

Technical Hurdles: More Than Just a Color Swap

Natural colors are not one-to-one replacements. They come with unique chemical and physical properties that present challenges in formulation:

• Stability: Natural pigments are sensitive to light, pH, and heat. For example, anthocyanins (from berries or purple vegetables) shift color depending on acidity and degrade at high temperatures.
• Intensity: Synthetic dyes are highly concentrated. Natural alternatives often require larger volumes to achieve similar brightness, affecting flavor, texture, or even shelf space.
• Consistency: Natural ingredients vary by season, geography, and supplier. Ensuring a consistent final product requires robust QA and supplier management.
• Shelf Life: Many natural colors degrade over time. Companies may need to invest in new packaging or preservatives, or accept a shorter product life.

These are solvable issues with the right scientific expertise, testing protocols, and manufacturing flexibility.

“Swapping synthetic dyes for natural colorants isn’t just a formulation tweak—it’s a strategic transformation that touches every part of your operation.”

Economic Considerations: The True Cost of Natural Dyes

Moving away from synthetic dyes will affect cost structures across the value chain:

• Ingredient Cost: Natural dyes are more expensive to produce, extract, and purify. Many require greater usage rates, increasing the total cost of use.
• Reformulation and R&D: Reformulating existing SKUs involves lab testing, pilot runs, and consumer validation, which is a major undertaking for large product portfolios.
• Supply Chain Pressure: Agriculture-based colorants need time to scale. Some crops, like spirulina or butterfly pea flower, require specific growing conditions and new supplier relationships.
• Packaging and Distribution: Maintaining color integrity may require different packaging materials, temperature control, or faster inventory turnover.

These costs can be offset over time by operational efficiencies, premium pricing, or increased consumer loyalty—but only if planned for proactively.

How LEC Partners Can Help

At LEC Partners, our Sustainable Food and Feed Technology Center of Excellence was built to solve exactly these kinds of industry transitions. We bring deep expertise in food science, supply chain strategy, and commercialization to help clients move from challenge to opportunity.

Our services include:

• Formulation and Product Development: Our technical experts work alongside your R&D team to identify and validate natural color solutions that perform. We help optimize formulations, resolve stability issues, and ensure sensory quality.
• Regulatory Strategy: Our regulatory specialists ensure your reformulation process aligns with FDA timelines, state-specific rules, and international standards. We assist with labeling, ingredient documentation, and proactive risk management.
• Cost Engineering: We help clients model total cost-in-use scenarios, identify efficiencies, and evaluate supplier tradeoffs. Our team also works with finance and procurement groups to develop business cases for reformulation.
• Supply Chain Development: We support supplier qualification, contracting, and logistics design for new natural dye inputs, ensuring a resilient and scalable solution.
• Consumer Communication: Our marketing strategists help you turn reformulation into a brand asset. From packaging claims to consumer education, we develop messaging that builds trust during the transition.

Looking Ahead: Reformulation as a Strategic Advantage

The phase-out of synthetic dyes is a milestone—not just for food safety but also for transparency and innovation in the U.S. food system. Companies that treat this as a strategic opportunity, not just a regulatory hurdle, will be better positioned to thrive.

Whether you need technical guidance, supply chain planning, or go-to-market support, LEC Partners is here to help. Our Sustainable Food and Feed Technology Center of Excellence already advises companies navigating this transition, drawing on global insights and real-world implementation expertise.

The future of food color is natural. Let’s make it work for your product, brand, and customers.

Explore how LEC Partners’ Sustainable Food and Feed Technology Center of Excellence can support your team at:
👉 Sustainable Food and Feed Technology Center of Excellence