FDA approves 3 food colors from natural sources. Here's what they are.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it has approved the use of three color additives from natural sources for manufacturers to safely use in food. The move comes amid growing concerns about the health effects of food dyes, which has led to action at state and national levels.

Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called on companies to phase out all petroleum-based dyes by the end of next year. Earlier this year, a West Virginia law announced it's plan to ban seven artificial food dyes — one of the most comprehensive statewide bans of its kind.

The food dye industry has denied any safety concerns with artificial dyes. The International Association of Color Manufacturers previously said in a statement that artificial dyes are "essential for consistency, visual appeal, and consumer trust in food products."

In a news release, Kennedy called the latest natural food color approvals "a major step to Make America Healthy Again," a nod to his "MAHA" slogan and movement.

"For too long, our food system has relied on synthetic, petroleum-based dyes that offer no nutritional value and pose unnecessary health risks," he said. "We're removing these dyes and approving safe, natural alternatives to protect families and support healthier choices."

While the administration's goal is to replace petroleum-based dyes with natural alternatives in the U.S. food supply, the FDA has stopped short of an outright ban. Instead, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told reporters last month that the agency will be accelerating the review and approval of some new natural color additives.

Here are the latest "natural" color additive options, which includes one new approval and two existing approvals that have been expanded: 

Galdieria extract blue

Galdieria extract blue is a blue color derived from a species of microalgae Galdieria sulphuraria, the FDA said, adding it can be mixed with "authorized food-grade carriers and antioxidants" to stabilize the color.

The color has been approved for use in a variety of beverages, including fruit and vegetable juices, fruit and dairy-based smoothies, flavored milks, yogurt drinks as well as milk-based meal replacements. 

Galdieria extract blue has also been approved for use in certain foods, including breakfast cereal coatings, hard and soft candy, chewing gum, flavored frostings, ice cream, frozen dairy desserts, frozen fruits, water ices, popsicles, gelatin desserts and puddings and custards, as well as dairy and non-dairy creamers and whipped toppings.

Butterfly pea flower extract

Butterfly pea flower extract, another blue dye that can be used to to achieve purples and greens, was already approved for use in several foods ranging from soft drinks to chewing gum. It is produced through water extraction of butterfly pea plants' dried flower petals.

The latest approval expanded its use to cereals, crackers, snack mixes, pretzels and chips.

Calcium phosphate

Calcium phosphate, which the FDA actually describes as a "synthetically prepared powder," is a white color approved for use in ready-to-eat chicken products, white candy melts, doughnut sugar and sugar for coated candies.

The compound was already listed by the agency as "generally recognized as safe" for use as a nutrient or ingredient in food.

contributed to this report.

Sara Moniuszko

Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.