This week’s news that the FDA and HHS are introducing a plan to phase out artificial dyes from foods on the national level within the next two years is accelerating a shift in the global food color market (projected to reach $5+ billion by 2032). Following a recent wave of U.S. state bans, legacy brands need substitutes for their existing dyes, which are made with petroleum and linked to health issues, and natural alternatives that produce the same bright blue color consumers crave. FUL Foods proposes a surprisingly sustainable solution—spirulina. Spirulina grows quickly, uses limited fresh water, requires no arable land, and can capture CO₂ more efficiently than trees, making it compelling for climate-conscious consumers and investors.
While major food brands scramble to reformulate iconic products and tech giants have quickly formulated blue dye alternatives, FUL Foods harnessed their proprietary technology to produce blue spirulina-based syrups and powders that can replace artificial dyes across various food and beverage applications. FUL Foods’ patented and trademarked process creates one of the purest commercially available blue spirulinas with improved low pH and heat stability. This means opportunities for mainstream blue food—notorious for being the hardest to replicate naturally—across categories not previously attainable (candy, beverages).
FUL Foods was founded by three visionary women—Julia Streuli, Cristina Prat, and Sara Guaglio—who met at INSEAD and turned their shared passion for sustainability into a mission. With backgrounds in tech, energy, and finance, they’re leading a global clean-label revolution by transforming spirulina into the natural color and nutrition source of the future. FUL Foods was named a “World Changing Idea” by Fast Company (2022) and won the World Beverage Innovation “Ingredient of the Year” award (2021).