Even food coloring is often added to food colors, such as pickled banana peppers. BWFOLSOM/ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY Image Closed subtitles
Trump administration's United States works again Hope it eliminates Potentially harmful synthetic dyes from food supply.
Manufacturers use these dyes to make food, beverages and medicines in vivid colors, but the government believes these cosmetic additives are both harmful and easy to replace.
Dr. Marty Makary, a new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, attended the issue at a recent event at a recent event. Makary told food and beverage companies that switching to pure natural food dyes should be easy.
Makary advises: “Try watermelon juice and hold up a series of small cans of liquid, “or beet juice” as the audience laughs.
But how easy is it to switch to a pure natural dye?
Mark Oliveria Olivia pepper About five years ago, it was headquartered in W. Va, Virginia. Clarksburg, when his grocery chain buyers pointed out that consumers had a greater demand for more natural products. They asked Oliveria if she could remove the No. 5 yellow dye he used in bright yellow banana pepper.
So Oliveria conducted a kitchen experiment, initially using Togress unterric Root, the powdery spice that makes the curry so easy to stain the clothes.
"It took me a while to get the color because within six to eight weeks in the jar, it will start to light up," he said. "So, the first year, we had a tough time, mainly because we were using the powdered form, and the powdered color was not long."
Oliveria then found a liquid version of the turmeric dye, which is more expensive and requires more quantity, but works perfectly without fading. Although he said the number 5 yellow dye still exists Approved for use in foodhe is now glad he was able to remove it from the ingredients.
That move five Years ago, Oliveria was ahead of the curve.
Europe More synthetic dyes have been banned since then and manufacturers are required to include warning labels about dyes in their foods. Canada imposes restrictions on the amount of dye available in food and requires dyes to be listed on the label.
In the United States, the Biden administration banned the third red dye in January before leaving the office. Last month, the Trump administration said it hopes to further develop and access the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries to voluntarily eliminate all oil-based dyes by the end of next year. Also FDA Recent approval The manufacturer uses three new all-natural dyes.
It's very easy to find an alternative for Oliveria, which relies solely on a single dye, but he said that this may not happen with other dyes that rely more on oil, such as Red 40, or Blue 1 or Blue 5 products.
"I think in the snack industry, in the beverage industry, they're going to have a tough time," he said.
indeed, Rep. Chuck Fleischmannr-tenn. Last week House Appropriations Committee Hearing Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified. Fleischmann said he represents many snack companies He has factories in the eastern Tennessee area.
“Frankly, I think these dyes are safe,” Fleishman refers to synthetic dyes. He also noted that current dyes have been in use for years and manufacturers see natural alternatives costing five to ten times more.
Melissa Wright, a food safety expert at Virginia Tech, said extracting large quantities of colors from natural sources is much more complex than mixing chemical dyes.
"If you use red cabbage extract instead of red 40, you have to plant, harvest and extract raw materials to come up with this natural color material," Wright said. Finding a sufficient quantity of the problem is a problem.
She said some colors are harder to reproduce than others, because some (such as yellow) have many common natural alternatives – including turmeric, chili powder and Annatto. Not like this with blue.
"The blues will be a very tough guy," Wright said. "Blue, there isn't much natural source. Supply will be limited, which will vary on the cost, and on the re-engineering costs will vary."
And, since green is a mixture of blue and yellow, it can also be expensive and difficult to source.
Two recently approved natural dyes produce blue color. One from Galdieria sulphuraria, Algae, another type, is butterfly pea flower extract, which can produce purple and green in addition to blue. Press release From the Department of Health and Human Services.
Wright said the cooking process can add complexity.
“These naturally derived colors tend to be less stable, especially in heat or acid,” which means that when added to acidic soda or baked like a cookie, they can degrade or change the color.
"The products you have to heat up, and that's going to be a problem because they just won't be as vivid as customers are used to seeing," Wright said.
When the cherry flavor suddenly turns purple, loyal consumers can speak out to resist - just like in the general mill Switch its Trix cereal briefly For all-natural dyes nine years ago, or when cheese snacks look rusty than safety tapes.
Wright said these consumer habits and preferences may be difficult to break. Consumers may think that the new product is flawed, bad or simply pleasant: “When I eat doritos and cheeses, I have that orange dust on my fingers, right?
Marinated pepper maker Mark Oliveria also saw preferences for his product line. He sold far better than his jadiniera vegetable mixture, where he contained no dye at all.
“So people like that color,” Olivia concluded. "Ninety percent of people eat with their eyes. I think ninety percent of people don't study and don't care what's in that jar."