With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, cherish those Brach’s Conversation Hearts, especially the red ones. They may not look quite the same next year.
The nostalgic candy now owned by Ferrero’s Ferrara Candy Co. uses soon-to-be-banned Red Dye No. 3, as well as Red 40 Lake, Blue 2, Blue 1 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake and Yellow 6 Lake. A veritable Crayola box of synthetic colors. And all of them banned from California school foods in 2028 and facing bans in at least one other state.
In this article, we will focus on replacements for those reds, blues, yellows and also greens.
Ferrara and some other brands from parent Ferrero have the enviable position as the leader in the sugar candy (non-chocolate) category in the U.S., which puts them in the unenviable position of having probably the most candies colored with synthetic colorants. Nerds, Red Hots, SweeTarts, Jelly Belly jellybeans and others have long lists of dyes and lakes; if they don’t have Red 3, they have other colors that are being considered by the FDA or states for elimination.
(We asked Ferrara and Ferrero to comment on replacement efforts, but they neither responded.)
Ferrara is not alone. Billions of dollars of food products will feel the impact of the Red 3 food ban, according to NIQ (formerly NielsenIQ). Their data shows:
- Retail had $4.2 billion in total sales of products with Red 3 in 2024.
- Candy/gum/mints, baking supplies, and desserts would be the top three categories impacted by the ban.
- Of the total products last year using Red 3, 36% were private label products, directly impacting retailers.
While there have been calls for a review of several colors for years, California got the current ball rolling by passing a law to ban Red Dye No. 3 from all food sales in the state on Jan. 1, 2027. The FDA followed suit, saying it will enforce a nationwide ban on Red 3 on Jan. 15, 2027.
Another California law bans six other synthetic food dyes – Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 – from being used in foods in the state’s public schools in 2028. That law is in the books. A proposed law in New York would ban the same color additives plus titanium dioxide. Several other state legislatures are debating bills with similar bans.
Even if other proposed state bans stall and FDA takes no further action, how are you going to replace them for California?
Reds
Common alternatives to synthetic red food dyes include extracts from fruits and vegetables, such as beets, pomegranates and tomatoes. Although natural options, they are more expensive and sometimes trickier to work with than red 3 and other synthetic colorants. Carmine made from cochineal insects is another solution.
GNT (exberry.com) makes natural red colors from black carrot, red potato, purple sweet potato, red radish, beetroot, blackcurrants and blueberries. The resulting products are all in the Exberry product family: Exberry Shade Vivid Red, Rubescent Red, Fiesta Pink, Veggie Red and Brilliant Pink.
“When replacing synthetic colors like Red 3 or Red 40, we’ll test several raw materials to find the best fit,” says Alice Lee, GNT USA’s technical marketing manager. “This means considering factors like target shade, pH, processing conditions and cost optimization. Sometimes, we blend reds with yellows or oranges to achieve a certain shade, which not only helps meet color expectations but can also help optimize cost-in-use.
“The key to success with plant-based colors lies in understanding their unique characteristics,” Lee continues. “For example, anthocyanin-based colors from black carrots, sweet potatoes, radishes, blackcurrants and blueberries provide striking reds and pinks, but they’re sensitive to pH, which can require careful formulation in some applications to achieve the desired shade. Similarly, beet concentrates offer bold reds and pinks but need higher dosages and more stability measures during processing due to their heat sensitivity.”
Givaudan (www.givaudan.com) offers a number of beetroot ingredients that deliver the pinky red of Red 3. Its Amaize orange-red, which is a non-GM purple corn extract, can provide the orangier red characteristic of Red 40. It also offers good stability to heat and light and is suitable for low pH applications, including beverages, confections, fruit preps, ice lollies, sorbets, and snack seasonings.
Lycored’s (www.lycored.com) original colors and other ingredients all came from the lycopene in tomatoes. Red 3 and Red 40 can be replaced with ResilientRed, ResoluteRuby and ConstantCrimson shades. On labels, they can be declared as “lycopene from red tomatoes” or “lycopene.”
Oterra (oterra.com), which took over the Chr. Hansen color portfolio, offers red color alternatives from red beets (or beetroot) and sweet potatoes – including its own trademarked Hansen Sweet Potato, “the first vegetable specially developed for its unique coloring properties.” The tuber took more than 10 years to develop without the use of GMOs. Oterra says the resulting reds remain stable at higher pH values.
“To replace dyes like Red 3 or Red 40, we often use extracts of red beet or red radish, supplemented with small amounts of turmeric, annatto, or red cabbage extracts to achieve exact matches in various applications,” says Pablo Elizondo, senior R&D manager and color specialist at Capol (www.capol.de).
For Red 3, Sensient (na.sensientfoodcolors.com) offers a highly stable version of beet in SupraRed, which can withstand higher temperatures and maintain the same bright color. For the classic fire-engine red shade of Red 40, Sensient’s Pure-S eliminates the off notes that can occur at certain usage rates of radish.
Sethness Roquette (www.sethness-roquette.com), which makes colors only from caramel, notes caramel colors provide a spectrum of hues from a light amber to a rich red. “While it cannot provide the vibrancy of artificial dyes, caramel color is a more label-friendly, cost-efficient alternative to artificial food colors,” says a spokesperson.
Ultimate Baker (ultimatebaker.com) has been making food colors -- Natural Red, Natural Deep Red and Natural Fuchsia -- specifically for bakery applications, especially cake decorating. They’re made from all-natural fruit and vegetable-based ingredients.
Yellows
Although paprika is an almost perfect match for Yellow 6, it often contains off-notes and is one of the riskiest natural sources in terms of contamination. Sensient’s Pure-S technology mitigates taste or texture issues, and the company’s Certasure pesticide testing protocols screen for more than 500 pesticides.
To replace Yellow 5, GNT uses carrot, pumpkin, algal carotene and turmeric. The resulting Exberry products are Bright Yellow, Celestial Yellow, Yellow Carotene and Mango Yellow. For Yellow 6, paprika, carrot, pepper and annatto yield Exberry Vivid Orange, Mandarin, Brilliant Orange and Annatto Intense OS.
At Givaudan, “We typically recommend substituting turmeric extracts for Yellow 5 because it can achieve those bright, almost neon yellow shades,” says Katie Rountree, regional product manager-Americas for Givaudan Sense Colour. For Yellow 6, Givaudan offers annatto extracts as well as its emSeal beta-carotene for shades that can replace those sunny yellow-orange hues. “These colors have consumer-friendly labels and are heat- and light-stable,” says Rountree.
"For Yellow 5, turmeric and riboflavin extracts can be used in various applications, while for Yellow 6, hints of orange from annatto, paprika, or other carotenoid extracts are necessary," says Capol's Elizondo.
Sethness Roquette, which again deals only in caramel colors, says its YT Liquid Caramel Color when diluted can produce a yellow tone for lemonade powder mixes and for poultry coatings.
Lycored also offers Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 alternatives with GoldHold and StellarYellow shades, derived from beta-carotene from Blakeslea Trispora, a mold that produces carotenoids, particularly beta carotene and lycopene. These colors perform in applications such as beverages, cheeses, egg substitutes and confectionary.
Blues
Blue is one of the most difficult colors to replicate naturally.
“Spirulina is an excellent match for Blue 1 to create pastel to vibrant blues in frosting and decoration applications,” says Givaudan’s Rountree. Galdiera, which is going through the color approval process with the FDA, is suitable in more acidic applications like beverages and confections.
Just this month, Oterra announced Arctic Blue, made from spirulina algae, the first product from a partnership between Oterra and Iceland’s Vaxa Technologies. It provides not only a vivid, natural blue color but has an impressively low carbon footprint.
Oterra also has developed blues from the fruit of the jagua tree. Jagua blue (also known as Huito blue) is a water-soluble color that was approved by the FDA in 2023, with Codex Alimentarius following suit in November 2024. It delivers a deep blue shade, more similar to that of Blue 2 than to the “primary blue” of Blue 1.
Oterra has developed Jungle Blue from the pigment, which is a very stable molecular chain, pH stable in all common food applications, and it doesn’t flocculate, precipitate or change shade in acidic environments. This makes Jungle Blue suitable for non-alcoholic fruit beverages, confectionery and fruit preparations.
Capol also is developing blues from jagua blue extract, noting it's good in applications where heat and pH were problematic. Capol also uses spirulina, as well as anthocyanins from extracts like butterfly pea flower and red cabbage.
Sensient’s Marine Blue is a spirulina-based sky-blue solution with enhanced stability and color performance. For more shades, Sensient’s novel color source, Butterfly Pea Flower Extract, maintains a denim blue in certain applications.
Green
Just as you learned in elementary school, green can be achieved by food processors themselves mixing natural alternatives for blue with yellow. Although Green No. 3 is one of the nine FDA certifiable colors, it's not as commonly used as the other synthetic color additives.
All the color suppliers we talked to can formulate a green replacement on a custom basis.
