About
Tomato powder is a whole-food dehydrated ingredient produced by spray-drying or drum-drying ripe tomatoes into a concentrated powder; it is used to deliver authentic tomato flavor, natural red color (primarily via lycopene), and concentrated nutrition to soups, sauces, seasonings, snacks, and processed foods.
Safety summary
Tomato powder is broadly recognized as safe with no bans in any major jurisdiction and no IARC carcinogen classification. Its principal bioactive pigment lycopene carries an EFSA-established ADI of 0.5 mg/kg body weight per day; EFSA found that children under 10 years may exceed this ADI when consuming tomato-derived food colours alongside natural dietary intake from tomato products. Individuals with kidney disease should exercise caution due to concentrated potassium in dehydrated tomato products, and tomato is a recognized trigger food for migraine and gout in susceptible individuals.
Regulatory landscape
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia) | Approved | Tomato powder is a natural whole-food ingredient approved for use in food products. FSANZ periodically investigates safety of food additives at proposed levels of use; no specific restriction on tomato powder as a whole-food ingredient.source |
| EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union) | Approved | Tomato powder is a permitted natural food ingredient with no specific additive restriction under EU food law. EFSA established an ADI of 0.5 mg/kg bw/day for lycopene (E160d), the key pigment concentrated in tomato powder; the ADI for lycopene may be exceeded in children under 10 when tomato-derived colour is used alongside natural dietary sources, but this applies to the isolated pigment rather than to tomato powder used as a whole-food ingredient.source |
| FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India) | Approved | Tomato puree, paste, and powder are regulated as fruit and vegetable products under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 (sub-regulation 2.3). Contaminant limits apply under FSSAI Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations (Version VIII, April 2025), which specifies a limit of 100 parts per million on dried tomato solids for relevant contaminants including lead.source |
| FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States) | Approved |
Who should approach with care
Research citations
- 1EFSA. Safety of yellow tomato extract as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, 2025. efsa.europa.eu
- 2FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations – Version VIII (01.04.2025), 2025. fssai.gov.in
- 3EFSA. Safety of yellow/orange tomato extract as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, 2023. efsa.europa.eu
- 4PubMed. Scientific Evidence of the Beneficial Effects of Tomato Products on Cardiovascular Disease and Platelet Aggregation, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 5PubMed. Red Tomato Products as an Alternative to Reduce Synthetic Dyes in the Food Industry: A Review, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 6FDA. GRAS Notice for Tomato Fruit Powder, 2017. fda.gov