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By Cindy Hazen, Contributing Editor

Color the food industry green. Consumers are not only looking for descriptors like natural and organic, they are looking for sustainable ingredients and compostable packaging, and they are talking about carbon offsets and neutrality. While we cannot help the food developer meet the locovore’s expectations, we can offer direction in creating a label-friendly hue.

Natural defined

The definition for natural foods has shades of gray. For non-meat foods and beverages, a natural declaration is left to the discretion of the manufacturer. The FDA does not define natural, and therefore does not recognize any color as natural.

In most instances, the agency considers colors that are “exempt from certification” to be labeled added color. These colors are typically what the industry refers to as a “natural color” and are listed in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 73.

There are exceptions. “Spices which are also colors shall be declared as ‘spice and coloring’ unless declared by their common or usual name,” states CFR Part 101.22.

Carmine, because it has been implicated as an allergen, must be labeled “carmine” or “cochineal extract.” It is considered natural, but some consumers take offense that the source need not be labeled. Carmine and cochineal products are extracted from the cochineal insect, which lives on the prickly pear cactus in South America.

For meat products, USDA provides black-and-white guidance. Minimally processed products that do not contain an artificial ingredient or added color may be labeled “natural.”

Consumers often assume organic and natural mean the same, but there is a difference. USDA oversees the certification program for organic foods. “Many colors are permitted for use in the four organic categories,” explains Carol Locey, product director, colors, Kalsec Inc., Kalamazoo, MI. “To be labeled ‘100% certified organic,’ a food containing color is required to use 100% organic coloring. Foods labeled ‘organic’ must contain at least 95% to 99% organic ingredients. The National Organic Program maintains the list of allowed and prohibited substances for use in the 95% to 99% organic category. Non-synthetic colors, such as paprika and annatto, are permitted in section 205.605 (National Organic Standards) for use in products labeled as ‘organic’ or ‘made with organic’ food groups. However, if a certified-organic color is available, it must be used. If an organic color is not available, the non-organic version is permitted as long as it is extracted without the use of solvents such as hexane and acetone.”

Because the majority of natural food dyes are derived from fruits and vegetables, some of these are also certified organic by the USDA. They may also contain healthful phytonutrients. To some extent, colorants such as anthocyanins and carotenoids can be leveraged as ingredients for functional foods.

How green is your color?

A general rule of thumb to follow in determining if a color is “green” is to look at how it’s processed. Grinding is the epitome of natural. Water extraction is accepted worldwide. However, a number of countries do not consider certain colors natural “if they have been processed or chemically altered, or made by fermentation,” says Jeff Greaves, president, Food Ingredient Solutions, LLC, Teterboro, NJ. Carotenoids, for example, are sometimes produced by fermentation.

“Paprika can be produced by a simple expeller method of separating the oils and pigment by pressing the ground paprika in the presence of oil,” says George Kean, Ph.D., color applications manager, Kalsec. “Significant volumes of annatto extracts are produced by water extraction. Similarly, fruit and vegetable concentrate colors are prepared either by expressing the juice from mature varieties of fresh, edible fruits, or by the water infusion of the dried fruit.”

Each natural color, “whether it is annatto or purple carrot, has its own specific, ideal method of extraction,” says Byron D. Madkins, senior director, product development and applications—colors, Chr. Hansen, Inc., Milwaukee.

Natural color primer

Sometimes, flavor components tag along when natural colors are extracted from their respective sources. Most natural colors, though, when used at typical dosage levels, will not impart or contribute to the flavor of the final food application. “However, as more companies are replacing products currently colored with synthetic colors with natural color options, we have found that we will need to be more aware of the potential flavor impact of some of the natural color options,” says Madkins. “This is true in snacks and confectionery, where the foods can be highly colored. For example, some of the colors that are carotenoid-based may also have a characteristic flavor note. Red radish and red cabbage have characteristic sulfur flavor and odor notes.”