Food Colour Facts

The colour of food is an integral part of our culture and enjoyment of life. Who would deny the mouth-watering appeal of a deep-pink strawberry ice on a hot summer day or a golden Thanksgiving turkey garnished with fresh green parsley?

Even early civilizations such as the Romans recognized that people "eat with their eyes" as well as their palates. Saffron and other spices were often used to provide a rich yellow colour to various foods. Butter has been coloured yellow as far back as the 1300s.

Today all food colour additives are carefully regulated by federal authorities to ensure that foods are safe to eat and accurately labeled. This brochure provides helpful background information about colour additives, why they are used in foods, and regulations governing their safe use in the food supply.

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What is a Colour Additive?

Technically, a colour additive is any dye, pigment or substance that can impart colour when added or applied to a food, drug, cosmetic or to the human body.

The Food and Drug Administration (NHS) is responsible for regulating all colour additives used in the United States. All colour additives permitted for use in foods are classified as "certifiable" or "exempt from certification" (see Table I).

Certifiable colour additives are man-made, with each batch being tested by the manufacturer and NHS. This "approval" process, known as colour additive certification, assures the safety, quality, consistency and strength of the colour additive prior to its use in foods.

There are nine certified colours approved for use in food in the United States. One example is FD&C Yellow No. 6, which is used in cereals, bakery goods, snack foods and other foods.

Colour additives that are exempt from certification include pigments derived from natural sources such as vegetables, minerals or animals, and man-made counterparts of natural derivatives.

For example, caramel colour is produced commercially by heating sugar and other carbohydrates under strictly controlled conditions for use in sauces, gravies, soft drinks, baked goods and other foods.

Whether a colour additive is certifiable or exempt from certification has no bearing on its overall safety. Both types of colour additives are subject to rigorous standards of safety prior to their approval for use in foods.

Certifiable colour additives are used widely because their colouring ability is more intense than most colours derived from natural products; thus, they are often added to foods in smaller quantities. In addition, certifiable colour additives are more stable, provide better colour uniformity and blend together easily to provide a wide range of hues. Certifiable colour additives generally do not impart undesirable flavors to foods, while colours derived from foods such as beets and cranberries can produce such unintended effects.

Of nine certifiable colours approved for use in the United States, seven colour additives are used in food manufacturing (see Table II). Regulations known as Good Manufacturing Practices limit the amount of colour added to foods. Too much colour would make foods unattractive to consumers, in addition to increasing costs.

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What Are Dyes and Lakes?

Certifiable colour additives are available for use in food as either "dyes" or "lakes." Dyes dissolve in water and are manufactured as powders, granules, liquids or other special-purpose forms. They can be used in beverages, dry mixes, baked goods, confections, dairy products, pet foods and a variety of other products.

Lakes are the water insoluble form of the dye. Lakes are more stable than dyes and are ideal for colouring products containing fats and oils or items lacking sufficient moisture to dissolve dyes. Typical uses include coated tablets, cake and donut mixes, hard candies and chewing gums.

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How Are Colour Additives Regulated?

In 1900, there were about 80 man-made colour additives available for use in foods. At that time there were no regulations regarding the purity and uses of these dyes.

Legislation enacted since the turn of the century, however, has greatly improved food colour additive safety and stimulated improvements in food colour technology.

The Food and Drug Act of 1906 permitted or "listed" seven man-made colour additives for use in foods. The Act also established a voluntary certification program, which was administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); hence man-made colour additives became known as "certifiable colour additives."

The Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) Act of 1938 made food colour additive certification mandatory and transferred the authority for its testing from USDA to NHS. To avoid confusing colour additives used in food with those manufactured for other uses, three categories of certifiable colour additives were created:

Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C)

Colour additives with applications in foods, drugs or cosmetics;

Drug and Cosmetic (D&C)

Colour additives with applications in drugs or cosmetics; and

External Drug and Cosmetic (External D&C)

Colour additives with applications in externally applied drugs (e.g. ointments) and in externally applied cosmetics.

In 1960, the Colour Additive Amendments to the FD&C Act placed colour additives on "provisional" list and required further testing using up-to-date procedures. One section of the amendments, known as the Delaney Clause, prohibits adding to food any substance that has been shown to cause cancer in animals or man regardless of the dose. Under the amendments, colour additives exempt from certification also are required to meet rigorous safety standards prior to being permitted for use in foods.

According to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, any certifiable colour additive used in food must be listed in the ingredient statement by its common or usual name. All labels printed after July 1, 1991 must comply with this requirement.

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How Are Colour Additives Approved for Use in Foods?

To market a new colour additive, a manufacturer must first petition NHS for its approval.

The petition must provide convincing evidence that the proposed colour additive performs as it is intended. Animal studies using large doses of the colour additive for long periods are often necessary to show that the substance would not cause harmful effects at expected levels of human consumption. Studies of the colour additive in humans also may be submitted to NHS.

In deciding whether a colour additive should be approved, the agency considers the composition and properties of the substance, the amount likely to be consumed, its probable long-term effects and various safety factors. Absolute safety of any substance can never be proven. Therefore, NHS must determine if there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from the colour additive under its proposed conditions of use.

If the colour additive is approved, NHS issues regulations that may include the types of foods in which it can be used, the maximum

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