Some people still think natural colors produce only pale shades, but in fact natural colors from Oterra can produce vibrant colors like synthetic dyes. See examples here and contact us for a sample.

Plant pigments have specific characteristics that give them advantages and challenges when used as food colors. We know all the in’s and out’s and have color products specially formulated to withstand your production methods. Our natural colors, when used according to our recommendation, are robust.

Nearly all our products are vegetarian and certified kosher and halal. See more here. They also have extensive documentation as your assurance of quality. Documents are available for download when you order online. If you are not a customer already, contact us for specific information.

When deciding which natural food color to use, the most important thing you can do is understand your consumers’ wishes and behavior. Then we can help you chose color products that meet your consumer demand and regulatory requirements. Contact us for an initial discussion.

We do not sell directly to consumers. If you are a manufacturer, you can buy our products either via our own sales team or one of our market partners. Reach out and we’ll be sure to contact you.

Let us know in this form that you are interested in a sample, and we will contact you. The more you tell us about your color and production requirements, the easier it will be to locate the best sample for you.

When you are working with us for the first time about a color product, we will support your lab and pilot tests until you approve the color for production. Once Oterra natural food colors are part of your production, you can easily re-order them online.

We sell in nearly all countries either directly or via market partners, including Iran. We do not sell in Russia.

We have strict principles regarding quality and safety. All of our factories have FSCC certification. See here.

Yes, they are. Many of our products come from specialized crops with an annual or biannual harvest, but we secure product for year-round production. Read more here.

Although there are fewer than 50 sources of natural colors, we offer well over 1,000 products. Tell us what you need, and we can quickly zero in on the best products for you to test in your production. Contact us.

Natural colors are made primarily from plants and are more expensive than artificial colors / synthetic dyes. Prices vary, so contact us and we can tell you the price for the natural color you need.

No. We specialize in producing natural ingredients for food consumption. We sell our products to manufacturers of all kinds of food and beverage, dietary supplements and pet food.

Our products are available globally, either via our own direct sales force or via our market partners. If you are interested in becoming a market partner, you are welcome to fill out our “Contact us” form here, and we will direct your inquiry to the correct manager.

In the natural food color industry, “raw materials” refers to the plant from which we produce our natural food colors. A raw material could be a red beet, an orange carrot or a green leaf plant like alfalfa. There are a few exceptions, such as using a mineral, like calcium carbonate, for white. Read about our raw materials here.

A pigment is the substance that gives something color. For our industry, we consider it the substance in mainly plant tissue that produces a characteristic color. Betanin gives beets their red color, beta-carotene is the primary pigment that makes carrots orange, and chlorophyll gives green plants their green color. See here for more information.

Natural food colors come from plants or other naturally-occurring raw materials. To make natural colors for the food industry, we first separate the plant’s pigments from the plant tissue. Then we create a liquid or powder product taking into account: 1) standardizing the color in the product so every pack produces the exact same shade and intensity 2) stabilizing fragile pigments, and 3) heat processing and/or adding ingredients like lemon juice and sugar to maximize shelf life.

NatCol, an NGO (non-governmental organization) with expertise in natural colors has made a categorization of natural colors. Read it here.

If you live in the EU, “colouring foodstuffs” is a regulatory term that defines coloring foods as an ingredient that is made from a food that is 1) normally consumed (e.g. carrots) and that 2) colors food. A guidance note about “colouring foodstuffs” was in effect for about 10 years. Although it no longer exists, a precedence was created and the term will likely continue. In fact, to help manufacturers maintain consistency about coloring foods, NatCol created a code of practice about this topic .

Compared to other natural colors, coloring foods is the least processed and most like how one would make food colors at home in a kitchen. For example, we remove non-pigment plant material by filtering out large molecules, as opposed to extracting just the pigment molecules from plant materials. This leaves more of the plant material in our final natural food color product.

For labelling purposes coloring foods are considered ingredients, so they are not labelled as additives. The EU was the first to acknowledge and define the term “colouring foodstuffs,” but many countries around the world also have guidance regarding food ingredients with coloring properties, such as India and Israel.

The various definitions and categories of food colors (see “What’s the difference between raw materials, pigments, natural colors and coloring foods?”), as well as the choice of ingredients we add is why we refer to “degree of naturality.” For example, lemon juice inherently contains a high citric acid content, thereby offering the same effect as purified citric acid. Both are produced naturally. Lemons are grown on trees and pressed. Citric acid is brewed by a yeast fermentation process. Some consumers prefer to see “lemon juice” on the ingredients label, so we offer that product even though it is slightly more expensive. Our experience is that standards and requirements change based on new science, consumer perceptions and regulatory decisions. We believe every step towards natural is a step in the right direction, and that’s why Oterra offers a complete range of colors in all categories of food colors except artificial.

They are codes to identify ingredients added to food (food additives). They are used by regulatory bodies to ensure safety with risk assessment and regulation, and to communicate about them, for example to identify ingredients on packaging.

E-numbers (European numbers) are the approved identification method by the EU and EFTA (European Food Safety Authority). For example, natural color from black carrot is E-163 and from turmeric is E-100.

INS-numbers (International Number System for Food Additives) are assigned by CODEX (Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX), under the United Nations. E-numbers and INS-numbers are usually the same. For example, natural color from red beet is E-162 and INS-162.

CNS-numbers stands for (Chinese Numbering Systems for Additives). China also accepts INS numbers, but there is no correlation between INS and CNS numbers. For example, color made from copper chlorophyll is INS 141i and CNS 08.153.

All countries have their own food safety legislation bodies. Some work very independently, but many countries share best practices and utilize information from, for example, the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO). Associations also exist to support the color industry. NatCol is a global association that often provides scientific evaluations and input to regulatory bodies on exposure levels, safety profiles, and more.

Most regulatory bodies do not differentiate between “natural” and “artificial” ingredients. Instead, they differentiate between “ingredients” and “additives.” Here are some examples of recommended labelling.

In the USA anything that adds color to food is considered an additive, no matter how they are processed or whether they come from natural or synthetic sources. Except for the nine certified synthetic dyes and carmine, food colors do not need to be specifically named on ingredients labels and can simply be listed as “color added.”

The EU differentiates between artificial colors, natural colors and coloring foods. Artificial and natural colors are considered additives and are therefore assigned an E-number. Ingredients lists must include the specific name or E-number. Coloring foods are not considered an additive, so they are listed on ingredients labels simply as, for example “red beet concentrate.”

China is like the USA in that they do not recognize coloring foods and don’t differentiate between natural and artificial food colors. All colors are assigned a CNS number. Ingredients labels are similar to EU, where each color must be listed by their specific name or by their class name and CNS or INS number.

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX), under the United Nations, assigns an INS number (International Number System for Food Additives), which tends to be the same number as the EU’s E-number. Many countries adopt CODEX as their baseline regulatory guidance and use their national regulatory bodies to create exceptions to CODEX.

It isn’t realistic for consumers to remember all numbers when they are reading ingredients labels, but they are easy to identify via a simple internet search. In markets where the ingredients label does not differentiate between natural and artificial colors, it can be difficult for food manufacturers to communicate that their products contain natural food colors. It’s even more difficult if the term “natural” may not be used in front pack claims, as in USA and China. If a manufacturer uses natural colors, they will normally make the information available on their website.

Botanicals are plants that have therapeutic properties. Phytonutrients are the substances in the plant that promote good health. Nutraceuticals are the kinds of food products that deliver the health-promoting benefits, like dietary supplements or functional foods. Read more details here.

NutriPhy® is our range of phytonutrients. They are high-quality concentrations of plant compounds well known to support good health. We sell them to dietary supplement manufacturers. See more here.

Many of our products are made from the same raw materials that we use in our natural colors, such as turmeric, grape or blackcurrant. When we use them in our natural food color products, we standardize our products to the color pigment. When we use them in our NutriPhy range of dietary supplement products, we standardize our products to the active compounds or phytochemicals. We follow a strict standardization process to help ensure quality control and consistency in manufacturing. Every NutriPhy production batch is tested and certified.

Technically, a food additive is any ingredient added to food, like spices. They are mainly used to maintain or improve the food’s safety, freshness, taste, texture or appearance. After the discovery of pasteurization and canning in the 1800’s, food manufacturers developed a multitude of additives so their products could withstand production, transportation, packaging and storage requirements in our industrialized society.

The term “food additives” is loaded with negative connotations. Some food additives have proven to negatively affect our health after having been in our food chain for decades. Through the years we’ve been taught to avoid additives like MSG, sodium benzoate, artificial sweeteners, and more. It’s no wonder that we are so suspicious of them. It’s good that these stories make the news so we can be aware, but the downside is that the vast majority of news is negative and that affects our perceptions.

Those of us who cannot make all our food from scratch need to accept additives in our food. And we must rely on governmental regulatory bodies to keep us safe by forbidding or restricting the use of unsafe additives. Most regulatory bodies are aware of the need to re-evaluate with new knowledge and safety testing. Carmine and annatto were recently re-evaluated in the EU, and specifications and provisions updated to ensure safety. Many additives are harmless, but they don’t make the headlines for the “good job” they do to maintain or enhance our food.

Indirect additives are not intentionally added to food but may be present in trace amounts as a result of processing, packaging, shipping or storage.