{"id":11601,"date":"2026-02-10T03:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=11601"},"modified":"2026-02-10T03:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:32:14","slug":"fda-clarifies-rules-for-no-artificial-colours-food-packaging-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=11601","title":{"rendered":"FDA clarifies rules for \u201cno artificial colours\u201d food packaging claims"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-image\">\n<figure class=\"article-image__container\">\n                                    <picture><source media=\"(min-width: 990px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/Label-770x433.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 430px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/Label-940x528.jpg\"\/>\n                                    <\/picture><figcaption class=\"c-featured-image__description\">The update seeks to reduce regulatory uncertainty while supporting a shift away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes. \/ Credit: firojarita2021 via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"drop-cap\">The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter to food manufacturers clarifying how companies can use \u201cno artificial colours\u201d claims on product labels in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The update, dated 5 February 2026, outlines the agency\u2019s intention to exercise <em>enforcement discretion<\/em> for specific voluntary labelling claims when products do not contain certain synthetic colour additives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-premium-insights mobile-useragent-scalar\">\n<section class=\"gms-b2b-marketing\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/wp-content\/themes\/goodlife-wp-B2B\/assets\/images\/GMS-logo.svg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<h4> Discover B2B Marketing That Performs <\/h4>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCombine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaldatamarketingsolutions.com\/\" class=\"gms-find-out-more\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out more <span><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"13\" height=\"9\" viewbox=\"0 0 13 9\" fill=\"none\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.685 4.5548L1.25586 4.5548L11.685 4.5548Z\" fill=\"white\"\/><path d=\"M11.685 4.5548L1.25586 4.5548\" stroke=\"white\" stroke-width=\"1.03145\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M7.85693 0.918855L11.9827 4.5731L7.85693 8.33789\" stroke=\"white\" stroke-width=\"1.03145\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>The move changes how food businesses can state that a product has <em>no artificial colours<\/em> on packaging, and is designed to support a broader regulatory shift away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the food supply.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-scope-of-enforcement-discretion-and-new-labelling-flexibility\">Scope of enforcement discretion and new labelling flexibility<\/h2>\n<p>The FDA\u2019s letter indicates that it will not take enforcement action under Section 403(a)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act \u2014 which governs misbranding \u2014 against firms using certain voluntary claims, provided the products do not contain any colour additives certified under 21 CFR Part 74.<\/p>\n<p>The specific statements covered include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Made without artificial food colours\/colorings<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>No artificial colour\/colours\/coloring<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>No added artificial colour\/colours\/coloring<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Previously, manufacturers could only use <em>no artificial colours<\/em> claims when a product had no added colour at all. The updated position means firms can use the phrase even when the product contains naturally <em>added colourants<\/em>, so long as they are not certified synthetic colours.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-industry-transition-towards-natural-colour-alternatives\">Industry transition towards natural colour alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>The FDA\u2019s action accompanies broader regulatory efforts to support the replacement of petroleum-based synthetic dyes with naturally derived alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>In the same announcement, the agency revealed approvals for the use of beetroot red as a food colour and the expanded use of spirulina extract, both of which are naturally sourced options.<\/p>\n<p>These additions bring the total number of newly approved natural colours under the current policy push to six.<\/p>\n<p>Regulators have acknowledged that the legal definition of <em>artificial colour<\/em> historically did not distinguish between natural and synthetic sources, creating uncertainty for manufacturers and potentially slowing reformulation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>By clarifying enforcement expectations, the FDA says it aims to remove barriers to labelling reformulated products while emphasising that manufacturers remain responsible for ensuring the safety and purity of all colour additives they use.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-implications-for-food-packaging-and-global-compliance\">Implications for food packaging and global compliance<\/h2>\n<p>For food packaging and labelling professionals, the FDA\u2019s updated guidance highlights the importance of aligning claim language with product composition and regulatory definitions.<\/p>\n<p>Claims must still be truthful and not misleading, and products containing certified synthetic colours remain outside the scope of the agency\u2019s enforcement discretion.<\/p>\n<p>International manufacturers selling into the U.S. market will need to align formulations and packaging claims with these updated rules, even as other jurisdictions maintain their own approaches to colour additives and labelling standards.<\/p>\n<p>The FDA continues to publicly track industry progress on reducing petroleum-based synthetic dyes as part of its food colour transition efforts, with these labelling clarifications intended to support that broader, ongoing regulatory focus.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Newsletter banner start --><\/p>\n<p><!-- <link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\"> --><\/p>\n<div class=\"grid-container\">\n<section class=\"gdm-newsletter-banner__container\">\n<div class=\"grid-x gdm-newsletter-banner__wrapper-container gdm-newsletter-banner__wrapper-container--article\">\n<div class=\"cell large-9 gdm-newsletter-banner-info__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"gdm-newsletter-banner-logo__container\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/wp-content\/themes\/goodlife-wp-B2B\/assets\/images\/newsletter-new.svg\" alt=\"Email newsletter icon\"\/>\n                <\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"gdm-newsletter-banner__heading wp-noreslt\">Sign up for our daily news round-up!<\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"gdm-newsletter-banner__sub-heading\">Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- Newsletter banner end --><\/p>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n                                <!-- article-actions start --><\/p>\n<p><!-- .gdm-article-actions -->                                <!-- article-actions end --><br \/>\n                            <\/footer>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/news\/fda-clarifies-rules-for-no-artificial-colours-food-packaging-claims\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The update seeks to reduce regulatory uncertainty while supporting a shift away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes. \/ Credit: firojarita2021 via Shutterstock The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a letter to food manufacturers clarifying how companies can use \u201cno artificial colours\u201d claims on product labels in the United States. The update, dated 5 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[2947],"class_list":["post-11601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-packaging-news","tag-fda-clarifies-rules-for-no-artificial-colours-food-packaging-claims"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}