Food grade dyes and pigments education and training can help you to give your customers exactly what their mouths, and brains, are looking for. Food grade dyes and pigments are used in more applications then you probably even realize. They are used in everything from meat to ice cream to create aesthetically appealing food items. A food's color is one of the top ranking items of importance when it comes to appetizing meals. The brain has been trained to associated certain colors with certain foods and the experience of tasting an edible creation appeals to all senses.

A variety of different professions use food grade colors from chefs to meat-packers, bakers, and numerous other product development companies. Consider the following when looking to develop your knowledge on food safe pigment:

1. It is important to pursue food grade dyes and pigments education and training to learn what is considered a food safe dye.

2. Courses in food science and technology degree programs can help you to understand and apply food grade pigment.

3. Subscribing to industry publications can keep you current on food safe dyes.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the basics about food safe dye

The first step to developing your food safe dyes and pigments education and training is to learn the requirements of what is even considered a food safe dye. Food safety is essential to any product developer or manufacturer, so it is crucial you understand even the most basic regulations.

I recommend: The U. S. Food and Drug Administration describes what food grade coloring and flavor is and how it is regulated by the government. Food Additives World gives some more insight into the applications for food safe dyes.

Take courses about food grade pigment

A degree in Food Science and Technology can make you a well respected and efficient product developer. If you know the science behind each ingredient you are using, you will be able to use each food grade dye to its fullest potential. The end result will be an optimized product that consumers and others in the industry will find to be above the rest.

I recommend: The Ohio State University Department of Food Science & Technology offers classes such as Food Additives and Food Colors and Pigments. The Department of Food Science at The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers many courses in Food Chemistry that cover food grade pigments and dyes.

Subscribe to industry publications to learn about food grade dye

As with any product, suppliers of food grade dyes are constantly developing new innovations and techniques for using food grade dye. To stay up on the latest trends and applications, subscribe to industry publications that can keep you current.

I recommend: Food Technology speaks to product developers and food and beverage companies about food safe pigments and dyes. Food Manufacturing is a publication designed for those working in the plant manufacturing facilities and actually physically applying the food grade dyes into the finished product.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do some category research on your own. For example, if you are developing a strawberry beverage, compare and contrast the colors of strawberry beverages on the market. Are they pink? Red? Orange-red? Consider what the most appealing (to the eye) color of them all is and use that as your target product when applying your food safe dyes.

Food grade dyes and pigments are one of the food industry's most powerful tools for convincing customers to buy their products. People eat with their eyes first. Food that is not vibrantly colored has a harder time selling next to food that pops with reds, greens, yellows, and violets. This is why food grade dyes are in just about everything one can buy at the grocery store.

Because of their near-ubiquitous usage, the expectation is that any food product you take to market is going to have food grade dye in it. In fact, not using a food grade coloring is a poor business decision because your customers are not going to buy your product if it does not look appetizing. When considering food grade dyes and pigments, you have two choices: natural food grade dyes and synthetic food grade dyes.

Natural alternatives include beet juice (it stains food like it stains your hands), turmeric, saffron, and annatto (made from the achiote seed). In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates synthetic food grade pigments via the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that recognizes seven classes of food safe dyes and pigments, from Brilliant Blue to Allura Red. In Europe, the European Union recognizes E numbers for their food products. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, of which the FDA is a member, adopted the E numbering system for all food additives.

If you are taking a food product to market, consider how food grade dyes and pigments enhance the appeal of the following foods.

1. Salmon – food grade pigments make it more red
2. Oranges – food safe dyes make them more orange
3. Ground beef – food safe pigments remove the grayish color associated with spoilage
4. Cereals – edible dyes make them more kid friendly
5. Fun products – food grade colors make green and purple ketchup

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look online for suppliers of food grade dyes

If you want to buy food grade dyes in bulk, you are not going to be able to go to the grocery store. Some specialty stores may have large quantities of food grade dyes and pigments, but if you want your food product to be on a large number of store shelves, you need to find a wholesaler.

I recommend: MacRAE's BLUE BOOK has a listing of companies that sell all sorts of chemicals, including food grade dyes and pigments. Alibaba.com is a site dedicated to linking international companies, including suppliers of food grade pigments, with companies that need them. This website has a section on food safe dyes.

Make sure the food safe dyes you are using are actually food safe

Troubling studies are being released that link many food grade dyes to behavioral disorders such as ADHD and ADD. One of the largest culprits is the red food dye used in children's cereals.

I recommend: Informity has an article about the alleged link between food grade dyes and behavioral disorders. If you want to use these food "safe" pigments, and are in the United States, consider contacting the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or researching the international Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) to see if the USDA is going to ban those additives. If you want general information about food grade dyes and pigments, visit the Food Technology and Biotechnology (FTB) website. It features many scholarly articles on the topic.

Consider natural alternatives to synthetic food grade pigments and dyes

If you need to use a red (or any other color) food safe pigment, you would do well to consider natural alternatives. The good news is that there is a greater push for natural alternatives over synthetic food grade dyes and pigments; this has led to their greater availability online. Also, due to a greater concern over healthy food products and the fact that more consumers are scrutinizing food labels, using natural food grade coloring is a smart business decision.

I recommend: Investigate the suitability of natural alternatives. You can find The Complete Book on Natural Dyes and Pigments at NIIR Project Consultancy Services (NPCS). You can purchase natural food dyes and pigments from Kalsec, Inc.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Food safe pigments help with food identity. We expect cherries to be red, carrots to be orange, etc., but the cooking process often breaks down the pigments that color food.
• •  Some food grade coloring practices can destroy the nutritional value of food. Avoid these whenever possible.
• •  Not all food grade dyes and pigments are digestible by humans. This can cause human waste to change colors. If you want consumers to continue eating your foods, avoid these food safe pigments whenever possible.

Food grade dye is used in thousands of food products sold to consumers every day. Suppliers of food grade dyes must follow regulations established by the FDA, USDA and international organizations to sell these dyes to food producers. The regulations are in place to provide safe additives to consumers. But there are controversies surrounding certain dyes that have been deemed safe by the FDA and other organizations.

Food grade dyes and pigments safety begins by knowing what regulations exist for food grade dyes and how certain dyes react in certain people. Information available for the safety of food dyes includes:

1. Federal and international regulations for food color additives;

2. Information on questionable or controversial food grade coloring;

3. Information about the difference between artificial and natural dyes.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about regulations and safety standards for food grade pigment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies have charge of testing and approving edible dyes. These dyes go through a process to be certified safe for being added to food. A non-certified dye cannot be used in commercial products unless the particular dye is found on the list of exempt pigments. There are many reasons these are exempt, but the most common reason is that the dye is derived from natural sources.

I recommend: The FDA provides information on the safety of color additives in food, medicine and cosmetics. The International Food Information Council provides a list of permitted color additives in foods plus a list of food safe pigments exempt from certification.

Avoid food grade dyes and pigments that have been linked to health problems

It is best to avoid the more controversial food coloring additives when a company needs to use food grade dyes and pigments to change the color of a food. Some of these additives have been linked to severe allergies, sensitivities and some behavioral problems in children. Companies that want to use these specific dyes can look for alternatives in natural food dyes or a different combination of artificial dyes to get the right color match.

I recommend: The Feingold Association of the United States provides a large amount of research and scientific studies that look at possible side affects of dye and flavorings added to food and not always regulated by the FDA. The University of Michigan News Service provides information on possible allergic reactions to certain food grade dyes.

Consider the choice between artificial and natural food safe dyes

One of the biggest debates in food dye safety these days is the use of artificial coloring. These artificial additives in food are extensively studied and have been found to be harmful for some children and adults that are sensitive to the chemicals. Some food manufacturers have switched to natural dyes, but some of these natural products have not been properly evaluated by the FDA and other regulatory agencies.

I recommend: Food Product Design provides information on the regulations and use for natural food colors as opposed to using artificial colors. Emax Health provides information on the safety concerns with artificial dyes, urging companies to find more natural dyes for food.