Jan 31 2006
When a bug dyes, they have to warn you…
“Beetlejuice” is more than just a movie name — foodmakers regularly use crushed female cochineal beetles to dye food, particularly certain yogurts, juices and candy, The Wall Street Journal reported today.
While shocking, it’s perfectly legal, the paper reports. Foodmakers don’t have to list the bug-based ingredient, because beetles are part of nature. Only man-made dyes, like FD&C Red No. 40, have to be listed.
But that may change soon. The Food and Drug Administration may recommend that companies list beetle additives as “carmine” or “cochineal.”
Why? Using beetles in food proves problematic for vegetarians, people who keep kosher and for those with certain food allergies.
I had no idea about this, and I consider myself pretty knowledgable when it comes to crap they put in food, but crushed beetles?
I’ll tell ya one thing. The day this becomes law, I’m gonna check every label of every product I normally buy and summarily dismiss anything that’s concocted from bug guts.
Yuck.
Technorati Tags: beetlejuice, bugs, dye, beetles
February 1st, 2006 at 2:43 pm
“Eew factor” aside, the article left out one very important detail … if that same dye is synthesized in a laboratory, does it cause the same allergy reactions, or are those reactions just a result of contamination from an incomplete extraction process?
A (perhaps silly) situation: you always get hives after eating potatoes bought at your local supermarket … are you actually allergic to potatoes, or is there a tiny bit of fungus/whatever on the skin that wasn’t cleaned off before you ate them?
I never take this sort of thing lightly (I’ve dealt with serious allergies since I was a kid), but it would be nice to have seen a bit more real science behind the article.
-Len
February 1st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
That is beyond gross. Ewww.