Food Coloring

Conventional Food Coloring

Avoid Conventional food coloring, which is synthetic and petroleum-derived. Which means unhealthy for you and the environment! These synthetic dyes are found in many processed foods:

 

  • Beverages like sports drinks, sodas, and juices.

  • Candies, gummies, frostings, and confections.

  • Baked goods, cereals, and dessert mixes.

  • Dairy products such as ice cream, yogurt, and popsicles.​

 

Synthetic dyes: are man‑made chemical molecules produced from petroleum or coal‑tar–derived starting materials in factories, rather than being extracted from plants, minerals, or animals. They are also considered “ultra‑processed chemicals” (what many people mean by “TOC”) because they result from multiple industrial chemical steps, not simple cooking or grinding.

  • ❌ Artificial Colors Blue 1: Blue 1(Brilliant Blue FCF) is a lab‑made dye built from petroleum‑derived aromatic chemicals that are heavily modified with sulfonate groups to make a bright, water‑soluble blue. 
  • ❌ Artificial Colors Red 40: Red 40 (Allura Red AC) is an azo dye, meaning its color comes from a man‑made structure that includes an azo bond linking two petroleum‑derived aromatic rings.
  • ❌ Artificial Colors Yellow 6: (Sunset Yellow FCF) Yellow 6 is also an azo dye built from petroleum‑based aromatic compounds that are chemically joined to create an intense orange‑yellow color.
  • ❌ Artificial Colors Red 3: Red 3 (Erythrosine) is an iodine‑containing xanthene dye synthesized in a lab; the pigment’s core structure and iodine content are designed and assembled by chemical reactions, not found as such in nature.
  • ❌ Artificial Colors Yellow 5: Yellow 5 9 (Tartrazine) is another azo dye made by chemically combining petroleum‑derived aromatic building blocks, then sulfonating them to make a strong lemon‑yellow, water‑soluble color.

 

Greenwashing Food Coloring

Avoid Greenwashing food coloring made by brands that pretend to be safer, organic or healthier when they are not. They wil use their marketing trick to convince you to buy their products! Theu wil use controversial ingredients such as: 

 

❌ Potassium Sorbate: preservative,  Human skin toxicant, or allergen – strong evidence. Associated with rare allergic reactions like urticaria, rash, asthma, and hyperactivity in sensitive individuals, particularly children. Some animal studies note gut microbiome disruption when combined with other preservatives.

 

❌ Sodium Benzoate: preservative (Bio-accumulative and cancer-causing food preservative)
​Sodium benzoate: benzoic acid and vitamin C mix can cause cancer. Capable of causing contact urticaria. Increase the DNA damage in human lymphocytes in vitro. Sodium benzoate generates oxidative stress and has an adverse effect on the immune system, liver, kidneys, and fertility.

 

❌ Citric Acid: unless it is derived from frozen lemon and orange peels, conventional cheaper lab-made citric acid Manufactured citric acid (MCA) is derived from a mold. “Approximately 99% of the world’s production of MCA is carried out using the fungus Aspergillus niger, a known allergen, identified merely as “citric acid” in ingredients lists. The FDA has generally considered it safe, but no scientific studies were performed to evaluate the safety of MCA when ingested in substantial amounts and with chronic exposure.”  Depends on which citric acid method a company wants to use.  A synthetic option or a natural one.  Synthetic is cheaper. You can ask a company what processes they use. Certificate of Authenticity COA

Natural Food Coloring

 We need to look for Plant-Based Food Colors, made in the USA

They are found in nature like they are supposed to. They have strong vibrant colors such as beets, spirulina, algae, cacao, and more. Not only are they safer and healthier food dyes, but these plant-based dyes are also considered superfoods! If you are a brand check here  or here 

 

🌿Yellow Natural Plant Dyes 

  • Turmeric: bright, almost neon yellow shades.
  • Beta Carotene: stable color source providing a wide range of hues both cloudy and clear, from yellow to orange to even red in some cases.
  • Saffron: 

 

🌿Blue Natural Plant Dyes 

  • Spirulina Extract: is a blue-green algae that is an ideal supplement for a balanced diet. Known as “The King of Superfoods,” spirulina contains over 50 healthy nutrients, such as dietary fiber, polysaccharides and more.
  • Chlorophyll
  • Magic Blackberry
  • Butterfly Pea Powder

 

🌿Red Natural Plant Dyes 

  • Beta Carotene
  • Beet Juice
  • Vegetable Juice 
  • Pomegranate
  • Red Cabbage Juice

 

🌿Orange Natural Plant Dyes 

  • Beta Carotene
  • Beet Juice

 

🌿Green Natural Plant Dyes 

  • Chlorophyll
  • Beta Carotene
  • Red Cabbage Juice

 

Here you will find the best organic food coloring made by responsible brands using natural ingredients.

 

 

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