FDA permits use of three natural-source colours in food items Health Secretary Kennedy Jr. plans to remove synthetic food dyes12 May 2025 12 May 2025 2 minute read 2 minute read By: By: Global Ag Media North AmericaThe US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it had granted permissions to three new colour additives, marking themas safe to use in food products and expanding the range of natural-source colours available to manufacturers, reported Reuters. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said last month that the agency plans to remove synthetic food dyes from the US food supply by revoking the authorisations of some and working with the industry to voluntarily remove others. "For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks," Kennedy had said in a statement. It also approved butterfly pea flower extract, a blue color that is produced through the water extraction of the plant's dried flower petals. The FDA also approved calcium phosphate, which imparts a white color, for use in ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar and sugar for coated candy.