FISA Lab. - Engineering Better Flavor

    The rules are changing. Your label has to change with them.

    Clean label Mexican seasoning. No artificial colors, no MSG.

    Retailers are pulling synthetic dyes from private label programs and a voluntary federal phase-out is in motion. If your formulation still leans on Red 40 or MSG, you're on a retailer countdown. Everything we ship is already clean.

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    FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant · USMCA 0% Tariff on Qualifying Blends

    Certification documents available upon request.

    Example label: Red 40 and MSG are struck out and removed from the ingredient list. No artificial colors. No MSG.

    Dried chiles, limes, garlic cloves and whole spices laid out on a slate board

    Illustrative image

    02 · Authentic and clean label

    Real Mexican flavor.Without the red dye.

    The problem

    Your retailer bans Red 40 and MSG. A quick reformulation softens the heat and the lime, and the bag stops tasting like your brand.

    With FISA

    We match the profile you sell today, clean label by default: no artificial colors, no MSG, no changes on your line.

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    Same chip. Same seasoning. One ingredient makes the difference.

    Tortilla chip with clean label paprika seasoning, a natural brick red
    The same tortilla chip with Red 40 seasoning, a bright orange red
    With Red 40Clean label · paprika

    Red 40 out. Paprika in. Same heat, same lime.

    Clean label is our baseline, not an upcharge.

    Illustrative image

    Authentic Mexican profiles, clean label by default

    Chile LimeBirriaPastor CDMXSalsa NegraHabaneroChamoyCochinita PibilAdoboChipotleAsado de Puerco

    The short answer

    Clean label seasoning means formulation without artificial colors, MSG, TBHQ, or sodium benzoate. FISA Lab ships every formulation to this standard by default rather than as a separate tier. This meets FDA Red 3 revocation requirements effective January 15, 2027, and California AB 418.

    You don't have as much time as you think.

    FDA Banned Red Dye No. 3

    January 2025: FDA revoked FD&C Red No. 3 under the Delaney Clause. Food manufacturers must reformulate by January 15, 2027. On April 22, 2025, HHS and FDA announced a voluntary industry phase-out of six additional dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3). This is a voluntary commitment, not a federal rule. Red 40 removal is currently driven by retailer contracts.

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    Retailers Are Setting the Standard

    Retailers set their own ingredient lists for shelf placement, starting with their private label lines. No clean label, no meeting.

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    Consumers Read Labels

    73% of consumers actively check ingredient lists before purchasing. "No artificial ingredients" is no longer a differentiating claim. It's expected.

    Your Competitors Are Already Moving

    Walmart announced it will remove synthetic dyes from its US private brand foods by January 2027. Kraft Heinz and General Mills announced plans to remove FD&C and certified colors from their US products by the end of 2027. The question isn't whether to go clean label. It's whether you'll lead or follow.

    Going clean label is easy. Keeping the flavor is the hard part.

    Pulling artificial ingredients takes a spreadsheet. Holding the taste and shelf life your customers expect takes formulation work.

    Flavor intensity drops without synthetic enhancers

    MSG and artificial flavor enhancers boost perceived intensity at low cost. Most clean-label substitutes deliver weaker flavor at higher cost. The gap shows up in customer feedback.

    Color stability breaks down

    Synthetic dyes are stable across pH, heat, and shelf life. Natural alternatives can fade, brown, or shift in tone if not formulated correctly.

    Cost per lb increases

    Clean-label ingredients typically cost 2-3x more than synthetic equivalents. Without the right formulation, you're paying more for worse results.

    Clean Label Across Every Operation

    Co-Packers & Food Manufacturers

    Clean-label flavor systems engineered for industrial production lines and multi-brand SKUs.

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    Grocery & Retail Chains

    Clean-label prepared foods for carnicería and deli programs. Ingredients your customers recognize.

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    QSR & Fast Casual

    Clean-label menu claims without reformulation headaches. Same taste, cleaner label.

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    Snack Manufacturers

    Natural colors and flavors. No Red Dye No. 3. No synthetic anything.

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    How we get you there.

    1

    Send Us Your Current Formulation

    Or tell us what you're trying to achieve. Our food scientists review your specs and identify clean-label opportunities.

    2

    We Engineer the Replacement

    Our R&D team develops a clean-label alternative that matches your current performance benchmarks. No artificial colors, no MSG, no compromise.

    3

    Test, Validate, Scale

    We ship samples once we confirm your brief. You test in your facility. When approved, we scale production with lead times confirmed per order for reorders and new custom formulations. Standard for the industry.

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    Artificial Ingredients

    Confirmed

    Sample Turnaround

    Understanding the Clean Label Shift

    FDA Red Dye No. 3 Timeline

    Key dates and deadlines every food manufacturer needs to know.

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    Clean Label Reformulation Checklist

    Steps to transition your formulation to clean label.

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    What Makes a Flavor System Clean Label?

    Clean label means different things to different buyers. At FISA Lab, clean label is our manufacturing default. Not an upcharge or special request.

    Our clean label standard:

    • No artificial colors: We use natural colorants like paprika extract, beet powder, and annatto when color is needed
    • No MSG: Flavor depth comes from real ingredients, not shortcuts
    • No artificial preservatives: Shelf stability through formulation, not additives
    • Simple ingredient lists: Ingredients your customers recognize

    This isn't a separate line. It's how we make everything. Whether you're reformulating an existing product or developing something new, clean label is built in.

    Clean Label by Retailer

    Each retailer defines clean label differently:

    Each retailer sets its own list and changes it. Ask your buyer for the current private label specification.

    FISA Lab formulations are designed to meet the strictest retailer requirements so you don't have to reformulate for each customer.

    Clean label requirements by retailer Your retailer asked you to remove Red 40

    Related reading on clean label

    Four pieces that follow a clean label mandate from the regulatory trigger through the retailer requirement to the cost of the reformulation itself.

    Brands based outside the United States: here is what fails at the border and at the buyer.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    A clean label flavor system contains no artificial colors, no MSG, no TBHQ, and no sodium benzoate, and uses ingredient names a consumer can recognize on the finished product panel. FISA Lab manufactures every seasoning system to this standard by default rather than as a separate tier.

    FISA Lab uses natural colorants including paprika extract, beet powder, and annatto when color is required in a formulation. Each natural color is listed on the technical data sheet and cross-checked against the buyer's retailer approved ingredient list before samples ship.

    FISA Lab formulates to the strictest banned ingredient list among the buyer's target retailers so one specification qualifies across accounts. FISA Lab checks the buyer's current list at development.

    FISA Lab ships technical sample packages once the specification is confirmed. Each package includes product samples, the technical data sheet, suggested dosage protocols, and application instructions for the buyer's process.

    In January 2025, the FDA revoked authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 under the Delaney Clause. Food manufacturers must reformulate by January 15, 2027. On April 22, 2025, HHS and FDA announced a voluntary industry phase-out of six more synthetic dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3). This is a voluntary commitment, not a formal rule, and these six dyes remain legal. Retailer contracts, not federal law, currently drive Red 40 removal.

    FISA Lab ships samples once the brief is confirmed. Our systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey, and qualifying blends ship at a 0% tariff under USMCA. Reorders ship on the lead time agreed in the purchase order. New custom formulations take longer than reorders, which is standard in the food ingredients industry.

    Yes. FISA Lab systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey. Qualifying blends enter the United States at a 0% tariff under USMCA. We ship directly to your facility anywhere in the US, with lead times confirmed per order for reorders and new custom formulations.

    Your formulation is next. Let's get ahead of it.

    Request a clean-label consultation and we'll review your current formulation for reformulation opportunities.

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