Gardenia Blue Gets FDA Approval as Natural Dye Option

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new natural food coloring called gardenia (genipin) blue. This color is extracted from the fruit of the gardenia plant, a flowering evergreen, and is now approved for use in foods like sports drinks, flavored waters, fruit drinks, teas and candies. This approval is part of a larger effort by the government to support healthier food options and reduce synthetic dyes in the food supply.

Gardenia blue is the fourth natural color approved by the FDA in just the past two months. Others include galdieria extract blue (from algae), calcium phosphate (a white coloring), and butterfly pea flower extract (a natural source of blue, purple and green shades). These plant-based alternatives are seen as safer and more appealing than synthetic, petroleum-based dyes.

“This expedited timeline underscored our serious intent to transition away from petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the food supply,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H, said in a statement. “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.”

The FDA is also pushing food manufacturers to stop using FD&C Red No. 3, a synthetic red dye linked to health concerns. While companies are required to phase out Red No. 3 by January 15, 2027, the FDA is encouraging them to move even faster. Some progress is already being made: About 40% of the food industry has voluntarily committed to stop using synthetic dyes, and major industry groups have pledged to remove these dyes from foods served in schools by the 2026-2027 school year.

“The FDA believes that accelerating the phaseout of the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in foods will help further the goal of Making America Healthy Again,” the FDA said in the announcement.