On July 14, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it granted a color additive petition for the use of gardenia blue in various foods. It is the fourth natural color approved by the FDA after approving three other natural color additives in May 2025.
According to FDA, gardenia (or genipin) blue is derived from the fruit of the gardenia, a flowering evergreen. The agency approved the new color for use in sports drinks, flavored or enhanced non-carbonated water, fruit drinks and ades, ready-to-drink teas, hard candy and soft candy.
As part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a plan to phase out all synthetic, petroleum-based dyes from the nation’s food supply. Since the announcement in April 2025, many companies and manufacturers have committed to removing these dyes.
“Every day, children are exposed to synthetic chemicals in food that serve no purpose and threaten their health,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “The FDA’s approval of gardenia blue shows we’re finally putting kids first. Thanks to Dr. Marty Makary’s bold leadership, we’re cutting through industry influence and taking decisive action to Make America Healthy Again.”
In addition to approving the new color, FDA also sent letters to manufacturers encouraging them to accelerate the phase-put of FD&C Red No. 3 from foods and dietary supplements sooner than the original Jan. 15, 2027 deadline.“This expedited timeline underscored our serious intent to transition away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the food supply,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH. “Now, by expanding the palette of available colors derived from natural sources, food manufacturers have a variety of options available that will make it easier to end their use of petroleum-based dyes.”
For more information, visit www.fda.gov or www.hhs.gov.
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