A natural red food color extracted from beetroot, chemically known as betanin and listed as E162. It provides the vivid pink to red hues in products from strawberry yogurts to meat analogues, valued as a clean-label alternative to synthetic red dyes. Its weakness is stability: betanin fades with heat, light, and alkaline pH, turning brownish, which limits it to products that are mildly acidic and not heavily cooked, such as ice cream, confectionery, and fermented dairy. The pigment is the same compound that colors urine and stools after eating beets, harmless but startling. As consumer demand shifts toward natural colors, beetroot red’s importance grows, with breeders and processors working to improve its stability without losing its natural credentials.