A new natural blue colour, Everzure Galdieria received a ‘positive scientific opinion’ from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in March 2026. The review confirms the safety of blue galdieria extract for use as a food colour additive, positioning the ingredient as a potential natural alternative to synthetic Brilliant Blue FCF (E133). The dossier will now move to the European Commission for final authorisation.
Everzure Galdieria is derived from the microalgae Galdieria sulphuraria and the colour is produced via fermentation and water-based extraction. A key differentiator from other algal blue dyes is its acid stability, which expands its potential in food categories such as beverages and confectionery, where achieving stable natural blue colour has historically been challenging.
Removing all azo dye colours from the food supply should be a priority and so new colour additives that are found to have no genotoxic or other health impacts is to be welcomed. Fore more information on azo dyes see Colours – Lizzie Vann Foundation
EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF), Laurence Castle, Monica Andreassen, Gabriele Aquilina, Maria Lourdes Bastos, Polly Boon, Biagio Fallico et al (2026) Safety evaluation of blue galdieria extract as a food additive.
First published: 16 March 2026
https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.9960
