We often hear about how we eat with our eyes first—and it turns out there’s some truth behind this notion. The visual appearance of the foods we eat can influence our experience and affect the way we perceive, taste, and smell our meals. Perhaps the most prominent visual component of our food—color—has even been used historically to identify important nutritional and medicinal values in our produce sources. And color additives have consistently been used as a relatively simple way producers and manufacturers use to alter a food’s appearance and improve its palatability. In fact, humans have been using color additives for centuries to preserve and enhance our food’s appearance.

Color additives refer to any dye, pigment, or substance that gives color to a food. Color is used to enhance the attractiveness of a food by creating visual vibrancy, adding a new and appealing color to a food, or preventing a food’s original color from fading. Color additives can be made from natural or synthetic sources. Natural sources refer to those derived from nature and the Earth’s environment, whereas synthetic sources are chemically manufactured by specialized companies and food producers.

Natural substances including spices (e.g., paprika, turmeric, and saffron) and minerals (e.g., iron), have been used to alter foods’ appearances since the beginning of recorded history. Even wine has been found to be artificially colored since around 300 BCE. Unfortunately, some substances that have been used to add color to foods have misled customers and created unsafe side effects, and there has been historic documentation about food adulteration regulations at least as far back as the time of England’s King Edward I (1272–1307), when some bakers used lime, chalk, or crushed bones to create disingenuous white bread. Sadly, toxic colorants have also been regularly used in recent history, including copper to color pickles and dyes that contained mercury or lead to create vivid colors for candies and jellies.

Fortunately, new technology has increasingly allowed for safer food dyes. In the 1850s, a British chemist discovered the first synthetic organic dye—created by humans but from completely natural ingredients—a popular hue known as mauve. Soon other dyes were developed, becoming known as “coal-tar colors,” since they were made from by-products of coal manufacturing. Today, coal-tar colors are generally made from the raw materials of petroleum. At the time of their creation, these synthetic dyes were inexpensive, easy to make, and gave off a better color compared with natural and mineral dyes. Although these dyes were generally safer than the metal salts previously used, it wasn’t until 1906 that regulation of color additives truly began in the United States with the introduction of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates color additives in the United States to make sure they are safe for human consumption and properly labeled on food items. The FDA approves every color additive before it can be used in the food supply, and the list of all approved color additives is publicly available for consumers. Color additives can be classified as a certified color (synthetically produced) or an “exempt” color (naturally derived). There are nine certified colors, and these colors are required to be certified every time a new batch is produced, whereas “exempt” colors don’t need to go through batch certification. However, “exempt” colors are still approved by the FDA before they’re used in the food supply. Color additives are subject to a strict approval process and are not eligible for the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) exemption.

Although the FDA has a rigorous color additive regulation process, across the globe there are other, different additive approval criteria, which can create inconstancies in the food supply. For example, certain color additives found in the United States have been banned in other places, and these discrepancies have raised concern among consumers. Recently, the European Union re-examined previously approved additives, including color additives, subsequently revising its approved list of additives and adding warning labels to products containing particular food dyes. These changes have encouraged some individuals in the United States to file lawsuits over the presence of certain color additives such as titanium dioxide.

In the past few decades there has been significant misinformation surrounding the health implications of color additives. For many years, there was concern about color additives causing adverse behavioral effects in children. Although certain people may be sensitive to color additives, there hasn’t yet been a body of high-quality clinical trials to support these claims. The health impact of color additives and behavioral effects in children continues to be studied by leading experts and state regulatory agencies. However, a few color additives, including naturally derived annatto and carmine, can cause an allergic reaction in some people, so it’s important to always read food labels and consult your doctor if you have questions about how color additives may impact you personally.

Overall, the FDA has a robust regulatory process to ensure the safety and transparency of color additives in the food supply. Further, the FDA routinely monitors any adverse reports concerning color additives. On the plus side, color additives help create a visually appealing plate, which can enhance a dining experience. Foods with color additives have been found to be safe for most consumers.

This article was written by Debbie Fetter, PhD.