Reformulate without Red Dye No. 3: A Guide to Natural Color Alternatives

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that manufacturers must reformulate products containing Red Dye No. 3, a synthetic dye known for its vibrant cherry-red hue in food and beverages. Products containing the dye must be reformulated by January 15, 2027, for food, and by January 18, 2028, for any ingested-drug products.  

Food-and-beverage companies must find compliant red-dye solutions that meet consumer demand moving forward. Natural color alternatives, which are already becoming more popular with consumers, provide a path forward for food-and-beverage companies looking to reformulate. 

Why is Color So Important? 

Up to 90% of our snap judgments are influenced by color. Think back to your favorite childhood candy. Now imagine opening a bag and pulling out a candy in a different color. Would you hesitate? Would you wonder, “Has it gone bad? Will it taste the same? What has changed?”  

Color plays a significant role in our perception and in how we experience food. It’s not just about appearance — it’s about expectation and trust. 

When regulations like the ban on Red No. 3 come into play, they disrupt not only product formulations but also the consumer experience. The shift away from artificial colors highlights the need for innovative, natural solutions to maintain the visual appeal and the familiarity we all value. 

Navigating the Clean Label Trend 

With the world trending toward cleaner labels and natural ingredients, natural colors are gaining popularity. Now, after the FDA’s recent announcement on Red No. 3, it’s more important now than ever to know your natural color options.

To begin with, when working with natural color alternatives, your starting product can affect the color of the finished product. Think of your starting product as a canvas and the natural colors as the paint.  

For example, if you paint a white or light-colored canvas (like milk) with green paint, the shade will be bright and light. If you paint a dark canvas (like chocolate candy) with the same green paint, the outcome will be much darker. Additionally, there is no universal replacer for artificial dyes, as all natural color types have specificities.  

All this variability makes matching natural colors to artificial dyes a bit complicated, but IFF has the solutions and expertise to develop solutions that meet your red dye needs. 

Natural Color Alternatives to Red No. 3 

Here are some of the top natural red-color alternatives IFF provides, along with their benefits and challenges. 

#1 – Carmine 

About: Carmine refers to a family of bright and stable red hues extracted from the cochineal insect that can be used in multiple customized formulations and diverse applications. As one of the top three global leaders in carmine, IFF is vertically integrated, and we have partnerships with farmers to secure large volumes and wide availability. Given our participation in the value chain, our experts also have deep knowledge of this pigment — both its positives and challenges. 

Positives: The carmine family provides excellent color matching and is great for bakery, meat, dairy and confectionery usage. It is not affected by temperature and light, making it the most stable natural-color alternative.

Challenges: As carmine is extracted from insects, it is not vegan or kosher and cannot be used in foods with vegan-, vegetarian- or kosher-label claims. It also has limited usage in acid-based applications, making its use in beverages quite limited. 

#2 – Red Beet 

About: At IFF, we regularly use the juice from red beets in multiple forms with excellent color-matching capabilities. For example, red beet powder is great for snacks, seasonings, confectionery, powdered drinks and much more. Additionally, oil-soluble versions provide excellent options for frostings, fat fillings and white chocolate-based coatings and decorations. 

Positives: Red beet has great color-matching capabilities and can adapt to different shades of red and pink, making it an ideal choice for plant-based meat products and confectionery products. 

Challenges: Red beet is not very heat-stable in its native and standard form, but with IFF’s concentration, antioxidants and formulation capabilities, we can stabilize it under extreme temperatures and extend its scope of applications to even highly challenging use cases, like biscuits and small cakes. 

#3 – Anthocyanins  

About: IFF offers anthocyanins extracted from fruits and vegetables, providing a wide range of red, pink and purple shades. 

Positives: The way our experts transform this pigment helps ensure the color is brighter for longer, making it a great option for both confectionery and beverage products. 

Challenges: Because anthocyanins need acid for stability, they perform best in confectionery and beverage products, and they can have limited usage in other applications. 

Let the Color Experts at IFF Help You 

With more than 30 years in the color business, we use our expertise, product portfolio of natural colors and innovative approach to not only offer solutions with the perfect shade for you but also deliver options that taste great and add other functional benefits to your products. 

On the bright side, there is not one single alternative to Red No. 3 – or any artificial color – but there are many different options. The choice should be made on a case-by-case basis, considering the recipe, processing steps and unique packaging of the product in question. 

With IFF as your dedicated color house, we are here to support, working together and guiding you toward the best choice for your business and consumers, no matter the specific challenges or restrictions you face.  

Simply put, we’ll make sure your products look as great as they taste. 

Reach out today to get started.

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This is business-to-business information intended for food and supplement producers and is not intended for the final consumer. This information is based on our own research and development work and is, to the best of our knowledge, reliable. However, nothing herein shall constitute a guarantee or warranty with respect to products of IFF or its affiliates or information contained herein and IFF does not assume any liability or risk involved in the use of its products or the information contained herein, as conditions of use are beyond our control. Statements concerning possible use of products of IFF or its affiliates are not to be construed as recommendations for any use which would violate any patent rights, regulations or statutory restrictions. Manufacturers should check local regulatory status of any claims according to the intended use of their product.