The Red Dye Free Store - Where to find products without synthetic Dyes

Showing posts with label cochineal insects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cochineal insects. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Artificial Colors - What does that include? What is in our foods should not be a mystery!

I am adding to my last post about Artificial Colors. Since it is very confusing. Many people have heard about bugs being used as food coloring in certain foods. The bugs are cochineal insects (also called carmine) and they were previously listed only as "artificial colors" or "color added" since it was in the Exempt FDA list. The article in the following link -
(http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/06/01/UPI-NewsTrack-Quirks-in-the-News/UPI-55451243894399/) - informs us that the FDA approved a new regulation set for 2011 and requiring companies that use the "dried bodies of cochineal insects to create food dyes to list the ingredient on their labels". Until then, unless you don't mind eating bugs, you might want to stay away from all "artificial colors or color added" foods. Sometimes carmine or cochineal is listed in the ingredients, but not always.
Personally, our family stays away from those foods. I don't trust eating red bugs. To me red in nature means "beware or poisonous" - unless it is a certain fruit. Some people are allergic to this little bug and could put them at risk for anaphylactic shock. Check out the latest CSPI News release in the link listed below. It describes the risks for some people. Included in this link is the following statement: "Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of CSPI, said, "No one should have to experience a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction just because they ate an artificially colored food. Food manufacturers should switch to other colorings."
Here is the link: http://www.cspinet.org/new/carmine_8_24_98.htm

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