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Food Color Additives Testing

Green Beer, Green Cupcake Frosting, Green Whipped Cream on Irish Coffee and Green Mashed Potatoes. With the Irish Holiday of St. Patrick’s Day coming, there seems to be a lot of green food made with food color additives in the...

by | Feb 24, 2023

Green Beer, Green Cupcake Frosting, Green Whipped Cream on Irish Coffee and Green Mashed Potatoes. With the Irish Holiday of St. Patrick’s Day coming, there seems to be a lot of green food made with food color additives in the grocery stores and bakeries. While many people think of green food as healthy superfoods, this green food seems to be mostly in carbohydrates! Even if it is mostly carbohydrates, it might require food color additives testing.

Food Additives

Food Additives

And there seems to be a lot of food manufacturers, bakeries and importers  wondering what testing is required of their green glowing food colored by artificial green food coloring that we normally see sold in little bottles in the baking aisle. Color Additives are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Chapter VII, section 721) and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. This Regulation encompasses color additives used in drugs, medical devices and foods. Colors allowed in one type of product such as food may not be allowed in another such as sutures.

The FDA defines a color additive as dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to a food, drug or cosmetic, or to the human body, is capable of imparting color. The US FDA is responsible for ensuring color additives in food are safe to eat, contain only approved ingredients and are accurately labeled. Not all colors are approved for use in food or beverages. The FDA maintains a Color Additive Status List which is divided into seven separate lists defining the regulatory status and allowed usage of certain colors.

Certain FDA regulated food colors are  subjected to certification and others are exempt from certification. So , which food colors require certification and which are exempt?  The FDA considers food colors that are naturally derived to be exempt from certification. These include colors from from naturally sourced pigments such as vegetables, minerals or animals. Food colors requiring certification include  synthetically produced food colors. These must be specifically declared on food labels by their name  while exempt food colors maybe collectively listed on a label as “artificial color.”

In the case of green food coloring, natural sources may include grape skin extract, algae extract, or fruit or vegetable juices or combinations of yellow and blue natural pigments.  For certified green food colors, there is a certified food color known as FD&C Green No. 3 or combinations can be made of other FD&C colors including FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6 and FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2. There are two green color additives which are no longer allowed to be used in the US:

  • FD&C Green #1 – Removed from list – 81.30(d)
  • FD&C Green #2 – Removed from list – 81.30(d)

If a food color is not yet approved, a manufacturer may submit a petition or premarket notification to the FDA for approval. The premarket notification petitions must show it is safe to be used in food. To show a food color is safe, it should show the composition,  properties, consumption amount,  health effects, and safety factors.

If your #Food #Manufacturers and Importers needs quality control, food safety and CPSC testing of their “green” food products to ensure they can be on the shelves for your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations,  SUBMIT LAB TEST REQUEST https://www.contractlaboratory.com/labclass/forms/outsource_entryform.cfm

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