Utilizing solvents such as ethanolic aqueous ammonia, petroleum ether, hexane and chloroform, annatto components α‐ and β‐norbixin and α‐ and β‐bixin were extracted from cheese, butter, margarine and hard candy. After transferring the extract into a solution of aqueous acetic acid in methanol, bixin and norbixin were determined quantitatively using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and an absorbance detector set at 500 nm. Recovery of norbixin from spiked cheese samples averaged 92.6% over a range of 1 to 110μg/g. Commercial cheese samples were found to contain 1.1–68.8μg/g total norbixin, and two samples also contained 5.1–5.6μg/g total bixin. Samples of uncoloured butter were spiked with bixin and recovery averaged 93.2% over a range of 0.1 to 445μg/g. Levels of 0.2μg/g total bixin and 0.91μg/g total norbixin were found in one commercial butter sample; the others contained trace levels of both compounds. Hard candies were prepared in the laboratory and recovery studies conducted. Recovery of norbixin averaged 88%.