Over the decades, there have been pushback and government regulation over how food and drinks have been colored.

What foods and drinks look like — the colors we see before the first morsels or sips hit our tastebuds — have mattered to people for millennia.

The connections we make between colors and foods are learned, Wadhera says. “Throughout our lives, we make associations which mean things. Cake is associated with birthdays. Ice cream is ...