When Nestlé replaced artificial dyes in Smarties, they spent two years overhauling 75+ recipes. They found spirulina only after testing nearly every alternative.

You don’t have two years.

Red No. 3 must be out of U.S. foods by January 15, 2027. Voluntary phase-out of the remaining synthetic petroleum-based food dyes is expected by the end of 2026.

For the past six months, my team has been mapping which alternatives survive heat, which suppliers can scale, which are worth pursuing, and which will cost you another reformulation cycle down the line.

We walked through the findings in our session on July 24 — covering examples from beverages, bakery, confectionery, and dairy. You’ll find which clusters are worth testing for your specific application and which ones to rule out before they waste your trial budget.

Access the recording and research summary here: https://food.greyb.com/resources/natural-food-dyes-landscape/