The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new blue color additive derived from the fruit of the gardenia, a flowering evergreen.
The color is approved for use in sports drinks, flavored or enhanced non-carbonated water, fruit drinks, ready-to-drink teas as well as hard and soft candy.
Petitioned by the Gardenia Blue Interest Group, the additive is made by refining the compound genipin — derived from crushed Gardenia jasminoides Ellis fruit, which is often used in traditional Chinese medicine — by reacting it with soy protein hydrolysate.
Though soy, a potential allergen, is used to make gardenia blue, the group has asked the FDA to exempt it from having to declare it as such. In its request, it says the soy protein is not expected to be detected in the final color additive and therefore will not cause allergic reactions. The FDA says it is still reviewing the request.
“Every day, children are exposed to synthetic chemicals in food that serve no purpose and threaten their health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a news release. “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.”
The FDA says this marks the fourth color derived from natural sources approved by the administration for use in foods in the last two months.
In May, three other colors were approved, including galdieria extract blue, calcium phosphate (white) and butterfly pea flower extract (blues, purples and greens).
Kennedy previously called on companies to phase out all petroleum-based dyes by the end of next year, with the goal to replace them with natural alternatives in the U.S. food supply.
The food dye industry has denied any safety concerns with artificial dyes. The International Association of Color Manufacturers said in a statement after Kennedy’s initial announcement that artificial dyes are “essential for consistency, visual appeal, and consumer trust in food products.”
Despite the buzz about these food dyes, Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said they are not the main threat to our health.
“The health risks really pale in comparison with the health risks of the added salt, sugar and fat in processed food,” she said on “CBS Mornings” Tuesday.
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