This document provides information about the chemistry of food colors. It discusses what food colors are, the purposes of adding them to foods, and their regulation. It also describes several major natural food colors in detail, including annatto, betanin, caramel, and cochineal/carmine. Natural food colors are obtained from vegetable, animal, mineral, or other natural sources and include dyes, pigments or other substances capable of coloring food, drugs or cosmetics.