As consumers reject synthetic dyes, PepsiCo looks for new ways to keep the vivid color in Gatorade and other drinks

At several laboratories at a PepsiCo campus in Valhalla, New York, 30 miles north of New York City, scientists are busy figuring out how to replace the company’s artificial food dyes with natural food colorings in its beverages, especially Gatorade, one of its core products. The company’s challenge: keeping Gatorade and other beverages vivid and colorful without the artificial dyes that U.S. consumers are increasingly rejecting. PepsiCo announced in April that it would accelerate a planned shift to natural colors in its foods and beverages. Right now, around 40% of the company’s products contain synthetic dyes. But just as it took decades for artificial colors to seep into PepsiCo’s foods, it will take years to remove them. PepsiCo hasn’t committed to meeting the Trump administration’s goal of phasing out petroleum-based synthetic dyes by the end of 2026. The company said it’s still finding new ingredients, testing consumers' responses and waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve natural alternatives. The company says it can take two or three years to bring a product to market with a new natural color. PepsiCo must identify an agricultural source that will have a stable shelf life and not change a product’s flavor. Then it must ensure it can get a safe and adequate supply. It tests prototypes with trained experts and panels of consumers, then makes sure the new formula won’t snag its manufacturing process. It also has to design new packaging. When Pepsi was founded in 1902, being free from artificial dyes was a point of pride. The company marketed Pepsi as “The Original Pure Food Drink” to differentiate it from rivals who were using lead, arsenic and other toxins as food colors before the U.S. banned them in 1906. But synthetic dyes eventually won over food companies. They were vivid, consistent and cheaper than natural colors. They are also rigorously tested by the FDA and contain no traces of the crude oil they originate from. This article was provided by The Associated Press.