Natural dyes, which are derived from plants, products, spices and minerals, have not been closely examined by researchers for their impact on health or pollution potential, experts say. Nor are they subject to the same strict test requirements as synthetic dyes. That has raised concerns among some food experts and consumer defenders about the unwanted consequences of this change, and if it really will make food safer and more healthy.
“The important thing to remember with all colors, whether natural or synthetic, is that they are nothing more than marketing tools for food companies, so that food seems in a certain way,” said Thomas Galigan, a toxicologist who works for the center of science in public interest, a defense group. “At the end of the day, they are not strictly necessary. Therefore, it is important to weigh the risk against benefit.”
Eric Atkinson says He never thought that synthetic dyes were insecure. But when he read the ingredient lists for the sweets of his company, which his family has been doing since the great depression, they always seemed out of place.
About 12 years ago, the company finally decided to make the leap. “We were so close to being completely natural or simple ingredients that we just followed and we were there,” he said.
I knew how critic it was to obtain the right color for the Chick-O stick, the company’s most recognizable product. All the packaging for sweets mimics the color of the product, which Atkinson describes as “amber”.
“They say in the industry that taste is the king, but the color is queen,” he said. “The queen is very important.”
Working with food scientists for dye manufacturers, the company’s quality control team began to try mixtures of natural dyes to replicate the exclusive tone of Chick-O-Stick. After years of testing, they came up with a combination of dyes derived from turmeric juice and vegetables, first testing beets before settling in radishes. But then they discovered that the color vanished under the LED light. This year, they changed Annatto again, a popular natural dye made of the seeds of the Achiote tree.
Another surprise was the funky smell that came from some of the natural colors. Atkinson remembers a particularly spicy dye made of red choles that smelled for rotten garbage, although the smell quickly dissipated when the sweet reached the cooking step, where it heats more than 300 degrees.
That was not the end of the challenges. Unlike synthetic dyes, which occur easily in the Laboratories of the United States, the ingredients that form natural dyes are often imported. That introduces a series of complexities, including logistics, costs and product security problems.
In March 2021, a container ship stuck in the Suez channel, reaching the headlines worldwide. He also created a new headache for Atkinson: the ship carried the radishes used to create the Chick-O-Stick color at that time, sending the company fighting for alternatives.
Even without such obstacles, it may be difficult to find enough raw materials for natural dyes. A considerable amount of seasonally cultivated products is needed, whether they are radis, red cabbages, blueberries or gold beets, to make dyes with fruits and vegetables. Carmine, a vibrant red dye, is made of insects living in cactus in Central and South America; 70,000 of these insects are required to create just over 2 pounds of dye.
Supply challenges often mean higher prices: an important dye manufacturer recently estimated that natural dyes cost approximately 10 times more than synthetic versions.
And then it can be a matter of convincing consumers. Although the color and appearance of Chick-O-Stick had remained the same, not everyone was happy with the new formulation of a classic sweet.
“We had a lot of rejection when we went to natural colors,” Atkinson said. “Most of the comments we receive was:” stop changing our Chick-O blow. “
Even so, sales remained stable, Atkinson said.
