Food Color Market Trends

Global Food Color Market Overview

Food Color Market Size was valued at USD 4.35 billion in 2023. The food color industry is projected to grow from USD 4.56 Billion in 2024 to USD 6.09 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.93% during the forecast period (2024- 2032). The key market drivers enhancing market of food color share are continuing to raise awareness of the benefits of natural food colors, the growing prevalence of clean-label products, the rising need to improve product appeal, increasing R&D activities in food manufacturing, and the surging use of microencapsulation technology.

Source: Primary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Food Color Market Trends

• Increased consumer awareness of the benefits of natural food colors to support market growth

Natural food colors are becoming more popular over synthetic food colors as consumers become more aware of organic products, the health risks associated with synthetic colors, and the medical benefits of natural food colors. The rapid adoption of artificial production sources to expand food production has resulted in several health risks. Increasing health consciousness and a preference for environmentally friendly products drive global demand for naturally grown food products. As a result, natural colors are frequently used by food manufacturers to enhance the appeal of processed foods and beverages. Natural food colors or dyes are derived primarily from animals, plants, fruits, insects, and minerals, making them suitable for use as a food additive as they have no adverse side effects. Natural color therapy is also becoming more popular owing to its non-toxic or less toxic nature and reduced side effects. Besides, governments worldwide encourage natural food colors as they are biodegradable and do not pollute the environment after disposal.

In addition, several regulations regarding using natural colors rather than synthetic food colors have been passed in many regions, which is expected to drive global demand for natural food colors. Organic foods are in high demand, owing to consumer perceptions that they are healthier and safer than traditional products. Organic food is grown without artificial fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Natural colors are frequently used to enhance the appearance of organic foods. Furthermore, as natural food consumption grows globally, the growth of the food and beverage industry has a positive impact on the natural food color market CAGR. As a result of rising organic food demand and the expansion of the food and beverage industry, demand for natural food colors is increasing, propelling the natural food colors market revenue forward.

Segment Insights

Food Color Source Insights

Based on source, the Food Color Market segmentation includes natural and synthetic. The natural segment held the majority share in 2022, contributing to around ~65-67% of the food color industry evenue. Natural food colors have beneficial and organic properties of natural sources, driving demand for natural colors. Growing consumer awareness of the health benefits of natural food colors has increased demand for this product source on a global scale. Natural colorings are made entirely from naturally occurring materials like fruits, vegetables, and tubers. It has been demonstrated that adding natural colorings to meals increases their nutritional value and aesthetic appeal. Natural food colors are natural food extracts. As a result, they contain anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and anti-cancer vitamins and minerals, which are expected to drive the segment's revenue growth.

Figure 1: Food Color Market, by Source, 2022 & 2030 (USD Billion)Source: Primary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

On the other hand, the synthetic segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the food color market data over the forecast period as it is less expensive than natural sources and widely available in the global market. Different kinds of artificial food coloring are added to foods and beverages to help them look more tasty, flavorful, and appealing to consumers.

Food Color Application Insights

Applications have bifurcated the Food Color Market segmentation into bakery & confectionery, dairy & frozen desserts, beverages, sweet & savory snacks, and meat products. The beverages segment dominated the market in 2022 and is projected to be the faster-growing segment during the forecast period 2022-2030. Food colors are essential components of processed foods and beverages. Soft drinks are widely consumed worldwide, owing to aggressive advertising by manufacturers. Sodas are advertised in supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, museums, and schools for billions of dollars. As a result, food coloring is being used more frequently in soft drinks, which is anticipated to increase segment revenue. Food colors enhance the visual appeal of uncolored or off-colored products, like beverages. Moreover, growing demand for ready-to-drink beverages is predicted to turn into rising demand for the product, resulting in increased growth in the food color industry.

March 2022: ADM (US) offers a line of natural white colors for various foods & beverages derived from sources such as native cornstarch. The new PearlEdge colors, which have a patent pending, have been described as brilliant white, uniform, and stable without needing modification. They also function as a clean-label substitute for titanium dioxide (TiO2).

Food Color Regional Insights

By Region, the study provides market insights into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. The European Food Color market accounted for USD 1.99 billion in 2022 and will likely exhibit significant CAGR growth over the study period. Strong consumer demand in Europe and a thriving bakery and confectionery industry are anticipated to affect the regional market's expansion positively. In addition, investments in emerging technologies are expected to encourage the development of innovative natural or nature-identical colors for applications such as pharmaceutical drugs and processed foods. Key players such as Döhler Group are actively pursuing strategies such as expansions and investments that have fueled Germany's food colors market growth. Label reading and natural product knowledge among consumers in this region contribute to the growth of the natural market of food color.

Further, the major countries studied in the global market report are the U.S., Germany, Canada, France, the UK, Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Australia, China, South Korea, and Brazil.

Figure 2: FOOD COLOR MARKET SHARE BY REGION 2022 (%)Source: Primary Research, Secondary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

The North American food color market has the second-largest market share, owing to manufacturers' increasing demand for natural food colors. The introduction of regulations and laws limiting synthetic dyes and rising consumer awareness about diseases connected to synthetic colors, such as cancer and other cardiovascular disorders, are anticipated to propel the natural food color industry over the forecast period. The United States is one of the most important regional markets for food coloring. Key food color producers have a strong commercial presence in North America, especially in the United States. They also have established manufacturing facilities and distribution networks. In recent years, there has been an increase in the consumption of various beverages and functional drinks. Further, the U.S. food color held the largest market share, and the Canadian market of food color was the fastest-growing market in the North American region.

The Asia-Pacific Food Color Market is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. The Asia-Pacific region's dense population has increased consumption of ready-to-eat snacks, creating a demand for these colors. The Asia Pacific region has a high adoption rate of nature-identical products, owing to superior product properties such as uniform color and lower cost than natural food colors. The region's leading natural food colorant manufacturers have access to a wide range of application technologies that can be used to test the performance of colors in various food and beverage applications. These consist of processed foods, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, candy, frozen desserts, yogurt, and baked goods, among other things. Natural colors are widely used in the Asia Pacific food and beverage industry for various purposes. Moreover, China’s market of food color held the largest market share, and the Indian food color industry was the fastest-growing market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Food Color Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

The dominance of numerous key players in the market for these colors has resulted in a highly organized structure for the global food color industry. Major market players are working to improve supply chain and production house transparency. Among all other market development strategies, the key players in this sector studied increasingly rely on product innovation and business expansion. In recent years, there has been a significant investment in R&D, which has led to the launch of various new products in the food color industry.

The Food Color Market major players like ADM (US), Döhler Group (Germany), Naturex (France), and DDW (US), among others, are expanding their product portfolios, investing in R&D, and forming strategic alliances to increase their market revenue share. Competitors focus on differentiating their products to offer distinctive value propositions to establish a worldwide presence in the food color industry. Smaller businesses distinguish themselves by creating unique food-color products.

The GNT Group is a family-owned business that pioneers the development of specialized, future-proof products made entirely of natural ingredients. It is well-known for its EXBERRY portfolio, which includes the leading global brand in Food Coloring. GNT Group announced the introduction of two EXBERRY coloring foods made from spirulina and turmeric in July 2021. Introducing these new products will allow the company to meet the growing global demand for low-cost green colors that endorse clean label declarations.

Also, Symrise AG is a market leader in the flavors and fragrances industry. Food colors are manufactured by the company's flavors and nutrition segment. The company operates in over 40 countries, including the United States, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Europe. Chr. Hansen Natural Colors, now recognized as Oterra, announced in June 2021 that it had completed the acquisition of the natural food coloring division of Symrise AG. This acquisition will allow Oterra to expand its natural food coloring segment.

Key Companies in the food color market include

• ADM (US)


• Lycored (Israel)


• International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (US)


• DDW (US)


• Döhler Group (Germany)


• Florio Colori (Italy)


• Sensient Technologies Corporation (US)


• DSM (Netherlands)


• Naturex (France)


• Kalsec Inc (US)

Food Color Industry Developments

October 2020: Chr. Hansen Natural Colors opened a research and development center in France to expand pigment, formulation, and application capabilities and to create new natural color solutions. This new R&D center will assist the company in gaining a more significant presence in the global food color industry.

September 2020: Phytolon, an Israeli start-up, has raised USD 4.1 million for its fermentation-based advanced technologies for producing natural, high-quality food colors.

September 2020: Chr. Hansen introduced a pair of novel natural food colors, a yellow based on turmeric and a blue based on spirulina.

Food Color Market Segmentation

Food Color Source Outlook

• Natural


• Synthetic

Food Color Application Outlook

• Bakery & Confectionery


• Dairy & Frozen Desserts


• Beverages


• Sweet & Savory Snacks


• Meat Products

Food Color Regional Outlook

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  North America

  
  
  
  
  • US
  
  
  • Canada
  
  
  
  


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  Europe

  
  
  
  
  • Germany
  
  
  • France
  
  
  • UK
  
  
  • Italy
  
  
  • Spain
  
  
  • Rest of Europe
  
  
  
  


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  Asia-Pacific

  
  
  
  
  • China
  
  
  • Japan
  
  
  • India
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  • South Korea
  
  
  • Australia
  
  
  
  


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  Rest of Asia-Pacific

  
  
  
  
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    Rest of the World

    
    
  
  
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    Middle East

    
    
  
  
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    Africa

    
    
  
  
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    Latin America