A Texas candy company ditched artificial dyes before RFK Jr.’s tenure. It was a sticky process.

Food manufacturers across the U.S. are facing hurdles as they seek to replace synthetic food dyes with natural colors. Atkinson Candy Company made the switch early.

The Atkinson Candy Co. prides itself on the distinctive taste of its Chick-O-Stick, a sweet, salty confection made from peanut butter and toasted coconut, with a crunchy outer shell.

The first thing you notice about the Chick-O-Stick, though, is the color — a reddish orange that took years of trial and error to replicate when the company switched to natural food dyes.

The Chick-O-Stick candy bar, produced by Atkinson Candy Co. in Texas.Amazon“The hue was not holding,” said Eric Atkinson, the CEO and grandson of the company’s founder. “That’s one of the many, many difficulties that you run into with natural colors.”

The Texas confectioner ultimately settled on annatto, a natural coloring that wouldn’t fade. But more than a decade after starting the transition, it is still struggling to replicate the bright green of its Christmas mint twists.

“They simply cannot find a natural green that hits the hue,” Atkinson said.