Author Abstract
This working paper examines how, starting in the 1870s, food manufacturers in the United States began to use standardized color, achieved by synthetic dyes, as part of their marketing strategies. Food manufacturers along with dye makers and regulators co-created the food-coloring business. Synthetic food dyes provided the food manufacturers with new tools for shaping and standardizing the color of foods, which had previously been colored with dyes extracted from natural plants and organic minerals, helping them to achieve mass production and mass marketing. Color was easier to control, reproduce, and commoditize than other sensory factors such as smell and texture. The federal Food and Drug Act of 1906 further assisted the management of product color in the food business by regulating and endorsing the industry's color control practices. By 1938, food dyes had achieved such widespread use, and had raised such public concern, that the federal government amended the 1906 Act to implement more stringent measures to regulate the industry.
Paper Information
- Full Working Paper Text
- Working Paper Publication Date: October 2016
- HBS Working Paper Number: HBS Working Paper #17-037
- Faculty Unit(s): General Management