Synthetic coloring agents used in foods have periodically come under fire for having potentially adverse effects, especially for children consuming these ingredients; as a result, industry has re-doubled its efforts to develop research into colors from natural sources which would theoretically be spared these allegations. However, in the past, industry has been disappointed with naturally-derived colors because they not only lacked vibrance and stability, but were very expensive compared to synthetics. Nonetheless, consumers’ purchasing habits still reflect a demand for bold colors. Just in the past couple of years, a number of large food companies, including Mars, Nestle, and Hershey have publically committed to transitioning from artificial to natural colors in their products, adding fuel to the fire in the race for a “clean label” with no artificial ingredients. Industry’s redoubling of research includes the re-examination of old sources, using more modern techniques and looking at new and unique sources of color or, employing new technologies such as nanotechnology.
Come see Dr. Ray Matulka speak on Regulatory and Labeling Challenges of Natural Colors in the Era of ‘Clean Labels’ at SupplySide West 2016. This presentation will provide the regulatory definitions of different colors approved in the U.S., the regulatory process to obtain approval for the U.S. marketing for naturally-sourced coloring agents, and examples of some recently-approved food colors.
Register for SupplySide West today at http://west.supplysideshow.com/.