“It isn’t easy being green,” Kermit the Frog famously said. And from a dairy product perspective, it’s not easy being any color that fails to resonate with today’s consumers.
What does boast appeal among many of today’s consumers is a color that is “natural.” Although no formal definition exists, the dairy industry considers a natural color to be one produced from natural sources instead of synthetic sources, according to Carol Locey, director of product management – colors for Kalsec Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. FDA allows the use of certified colors (all synthetically produced) or non-certified colors (most, but not all of which are derived from natural sources).