Colourants and Additives: Existing and Emerging Safety Concerns

Colour additives have long been used as a means of enhancing the aesthetic value of foods, beverages, and cosmetics and of identifying drugs and other products. Naturally occurring substances such as turmeric, paprika, saffron, and inorganic mineral pigments have been used for thousands of years. In the middle of the nineteenth century, synthetic organic dyes were developed, creating an economical and extensive array of color additives. Certified color additives are synthetic organic compounds. Most exempt colorants are derived from vegetable or mineral sources and are therefore often called "natural"; they can also be made synthetically, however it requires FDA to hold both types of color additives to the same safety standard. Colour additives exempt from certification (also known as ‘natural Colour additives’) are commonly used in the United States to colour foods, drugs and cosmetics. The US Food and Drug Administration established regulations governing the use of these colour additives, and the labelling of the products that contain them. The safety of these colour additives has been demonstrated by safety testing programs that have yielded a significant amount of toxicology data, and also by a long and well documented history of safe use in the United States and elsewhere. In this study the data supporting the safety of the colour additives that are exempt from certification and approved for use in the USA, and conclude that the safety of these colour additives are well supported by the literature.