Synthetic Food Colors: Everything You Need to Know
Synthetic food colors are becoming more popular, especially in growing economic countries like India and China. Until recently, it was permitted to add eight synthetic food dyes at a maximum level of 200 parts per million to specified foods. In this blog, we will explain everything you need to know about synthetic food colors.
The US FDA revised the regulatory provisions and made more stringent laws regarding synthetic food colors due to a wide prevalence of fraudulent practices such as using unpermitted colors or misusing permitted synthetic dyes or colors and the inherent toxicity of these dyes. It is imperative to generate data on the country’s dietary intake of food colors to obtain reductions in total exposure to uncertified colors.
Consumers can also play a crucial role in reducing their exposure to foodstuffs by requesting foodstuffs that don’t contain synthetic colors. It is because manufacturers add these colors to improve the appearance and consumer appeal. Whether you are a business or professional wondering what are synthetic food colors, you have come to the right place.
The Use of Synthetic Food Colors
Food and beverage manufacturers consider color one of the most important sensory properties. Color is one of the fastest ways consumers can tell whether something is fresh, tasty, and quality. When a consumer sees something appealing, he or she may decide to purchase that product.
With an increasing food industry and high demand for food color additives, the processed food product segments will dominate the global food colors market by the end of 2024, enhancing the inherent color, minimizing variations, and colorizing uncolored foods to replace color loss during food processing.
Food Colors in Various Industrial Applications
Manufacturers and exporters of synthetic food colors have undergone significant changes during the last ten years. There have been many acquisitions or disappearances of synthetic food dye manufacturers in the West. Today the UK is the only country in the world without an independent producer of synthetic dyes used for food coloring and historically one of the originating countries that make use of these color additives.
It has been traditional for Japanese producers to focus only on their home markets. As a result, new generations of synthetic dyestuff manufacturers have emerged in the East, especially from India. If we talk about the world’s biggest suppliers of synthetic food dyes, India tops the list. The demand for processed food products in Asia-Pacific is expected to increase in the next few years as emerging economies such as India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand increase their consumption.
Food and beverage industries in this region are expected to grow, resulting in a growing demand for food colors as urbanization, health awareness, and disposable income growth. Many dye manufacturers in India produce industrial and textile dyes, but the industry is small or fragmented.
Western India is home to most of these manufacturers, especially Gujarat and Maharashtra. Dyes manufacturers in India have established themselves as the world’s leading suppliers of premium quality food colors & cosmetic lakes & pigments conforming to international regulations due to the growing demand for improved quality dyes & pigments.
However, many consumers often make this mistake when they buy from India: They rely on samples, websites, and brochures to make their purchasing decisions. Buyers should visit the manufacturer’s factory before making a final decision. Food colors and cosmetic pigments will be easier to source from India if you have reliable suppliers.
Rules and Regulations for Food Companies
Maintaining FDA compliance is essential when adding synthetic food colors. Each approved dye must be used exclusively for the purpose listed on its label and it cannot be used for any other use than that stated on its label. The FDA prohibits food manufacturers from using synthetic dyes that aren’t approved for use in food.
The certification process is also applicable to some food colorings. Taking into consideration the substance’s identity, purity specifications, and limitations associated with its use are all important factors in meeting FDA standards. Moreover, it is recommended to check the status of all dyes whether natural or synthetic before using them in food products.
Ensure you do not use restricted or unauthorized (uncertified) colorings in your food. Nevertheless, several colors, such as red and green from grape skin extract or blue-red and brown from dehydrated beet pigment, are exempt from FDA certification because they come from natural sources.
Before incorporating a dye into your production practices, check the FDA’s list of approved color additives. There are specific listing regulations issued and permitted by the FDA for color additives used in food, cosmetics, and drugs. When a product is adulterated according to the provisions of the FD&C Act, it may be found to be adulterated if it contains unlisted color additives, poorly listed color additives, or color additives that do not comply with purity and identity specifications.
A product like this may be subject to FDA enforcement action. It only takes a small amount of color additive to contaminate a large number of products, and most products contain only a small amount of color additive. Therefore, food companies are required to always use safe & approved food additives.
Moreover, it is advised for food companies to always buy food colors from leading food color manufacturers and exporters like Hridhan Chem, which follows USFDA regulations to produce premium quality food colors to meet international standards.
Thus, consumers who deal with Indian producers should perform the following due diligence. Buyers need to conduct a quality audit of the factory of their manufacturers to check the product quality and purity themselves. So, the buyer should keep the following items in mind during the audit:
- AAS (for checking metallic impurities), HPLC, and computerized color matching system in-house lab equipped with a UV spectrophotometer.
- Traceability (from raw material to finished lot)
- Plant hygiene and safety
- Effluent treatment plant
Leading food dyes and pigment manufacturers like Hridhan Chem focus on producing top-quality food colors that meet USFDA international standards and help accomplish all your color requirements at the most competitive prices.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that synthetic food color is one of the most important organoleptic attributes that directly affect consumer acceptance, and it is used in many food products to improve the quality of the food products and to swing consumers towards it. The food colors market size is projected to grow from $3,026.9 million in 2018 to $4,651.4 million in 2024 by 7.4%.
Therefore, food and beverage industries worldwide have benefited significantly from colors because they influence appetite and food preference. However, they are required to maintain the FDA standards when using any food additives in their products.
It is highly recommended that food companies buy food colors from reputed food color manufacturers & exporters in India to ensure necessary health and safety concerns. Are you a business or individual who needs more information on a wide range of synthetic food colors or pigments, get in touch with us today.
