Major food manufacturers are moving away from artificial dyes in their products. Companies such as Nestle, General Mills, and Kraft Heinz have announced plans to eliminate these synthetic colors within the next two years.
Indika Edirisinghe, a Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at Illinois Tech, highlights the challenges of this transition. "One of the big challenges with the natural color is stability and consistency—they are not as stable as artificial colors," says Edirisinghe. He notes that natural dyes may degrade over time when exposed to environmental factors like heat and light.
While Nestle claims that over 90 percent of its product categories already lack synthetic colors, many food items still containing them are aimed at children, including breakfast cereals and sweets.
Edirisinghe suggests it is timely for the industry to reassess safety standards established decades ago. He references a 2021 study linking synthetic food dyes to increased ADHD diagnoses in children and adolescents. "In the last 20 years, the rate [of children with ADHD] has increased from 6 percent to 10 percent," he states.
The timeline for transitioning to natural dyes varies among companies, ranging from summer 2026 to late 2027. Despite potential hurdles in developing new formulations and meeting regulatory requirements, Edirisinghe remains optimistic about the industry's capacity for change. "I think that timeline is feasible given the robust structures the industry has," he asserts.
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