ConserveCaribbean

If an ingredient list says carmine, cochineal extract, or Natural Red 4, that's an insect. A scale insect farmed on cactus, mostly in Peru, dried and crushed. It takes around 70,000 of them to make a pound of dye. It's in strawberry yogurt, pink candy, juice, some cheese spreads, and most red lipstick. Until 2011 the label didn't have to say much. Carmine could be listed as artificial color or just color added. FDA changed it after reports of severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, and now the name has to be printed. The part I find interesting is what FDA left out. The petition asked that labels also state the color comes from insects. The dairy industry objected, saying there was no need, and FDA agreed. So the rule is that the word carmine has to appear, and nothing has to tell you what carmine is.