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A Note From the FDA: There Are Beetles in Your Juice
January 07, 2009 11:33 AM
By KIRK FERNANDES, ABC News Medical Unit
So, you know all those ground-up bugs you’ve been drinking and eating? Ooh … awkward moment. You didn’t know you were gulping down ground-up bugs, did you?
Well, it turns out that one of the best ways to make a “natural” red food coloring is to crush the dried bodies of the female Dactylopius coccus -- a cactus-eating insect from the Americas.
The resulting scarlet hue brightens some of our popular juices, candies, yogurts and ice creams. And the same coloring can be used in makeup including lipstick.
Earlier this week the Food and Drug Administration issued a rule requiring manufacturers using the dye -- known as carmine, or cochineal extract -- to label it as such in foods and cosmetics.
But not because of the gross factor. Instead, the FDA is doing so to help prevent dangerous anaphylactic reactions in people who are allergic to the insects and are unknowingly ingesting and/or rubbing the colorful bug powder on their faces.
The labeling of "these color additives in all foods and cosmetics is necessary to ensure their safe use," stated the FDA report issued Monday.
The new requirement was, in part, a response to a citizen petition about the allergic reactions, first launched in 1998 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, according to the FDA report. But the final rule doesn’t go as far as the center had wanted: an overall ban of the ingredient or a required label to explain that carmine is "insect-derived."
"We wanted people to know that it comes from an insect," said Michael Jacobson, the center's executive director. "Vegetarians, Jews, anybody else who has concerns about eating animal products should know that."
It should be noted that cochineal allergies appear to be rare. The FDA collected 14 reports of adverse reactions during a 10-year period. And the agency is not considering it a "major food allergen" like other foods such as shellfish and tree nuts, which are covered by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.
A quick scan of the medical literature turned up a few reports of people with occupational asthma linked to carmine, including two workers at a carmine factory and two butchers who used the coloring in their sausages (both in Spain).
Manufacturers don’t have to start adding the “carmine” or “cochineal extract” labels until 2011, but you can find many products from familiar brands that are already noting the special ingredient.
Image of D. coccus cortesy of Peter J. Bryant, University of California, Irvine.
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January 7, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (53)
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And yes, I know they're not beetles, technically.
Posted by: Kirk Fernandes | Jan 7, 2009 11:51:37 AM
Of course you eat bugs. Every batch of flour has some bug parts mixed in. Although extremely rare, even ground beef has the potential for soemthing a little extra....human flesh. On extremely rare occasions people working the grinders have fallen in and been mixed in with the beef.
Posted by: Extra_protein | Jan 7, 2009 11:56:06 AM
Anybody interested in this topic should read a wonderful book on the subject: "A Perfect Red" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Posted by: Peter Bryant | Jan 7, 2009 12:40:25 PM
I thought this was fairly common knowledge. In fact you eat way more insects than that. You can read the 'US FDA Food Defect Action Levels' for yourself. Gives exceptable levels of mold, insect fragments, rodent filth, and mammalian extreta. Yummy.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html#CHPTR
Posted by: amy | Jan 7, 2009 1:43:45 PM
Although it is common that we ingest bugs unknowingly, I don't want to read that in my Danactive it comes with an extra dose of beetle parts. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. I was better being left relatively in the dark regarding that.
Posted by: Icky Poo | Jan 7, 2009 1:45:32 PM
The problem isn't entirely with classical "allergies." This dye triggers my migraine headaches. I am very glad to have it clearly labeled. I'd be even happier if food items were on the shelves with and withOUT the coloring.
Posted by: Stephanie Hutchinson | Jan 7, 2009 1:46:43 PM
Extra_protein entertains us with: "On extremely rare occasions people working the grinders have fallen in and been mixed in with the beef."
Uh-huh. Please provide us with a cite, a link, ANYTHING so that we can all be privy to this information.
Posted by: Aaron | Jan 7, 2009 1:47:11 PM
If you want to avoid carmine and other insects, look for kosher foods. Carmine is a non-kosher ingredient and you won't find any in any kosher-certified food.
Posted by: Dave | Jan 7, 2009 1:58:41 PM
It's no wonder people get cancer. The truth is that no one cares if you get cancer and no one cares to cure it. I'll be sure to watch for this ingredient in the foods I buy.
Posted by: Mihann | Jan 7, 2009 2:00:21 PM
thats kinda gross and i think that its really gross but hey we need something good to
drink.
Posted by: juana | Jan 7, 2009 2:00:23 PM
How disgusting! I really don't need to know this...
Posted by: rematenaj | Jan 7, 2009 2:02:56 PM
That's just great for Vegans....
I understand that there is always a certain percentage of insects & bugs (rat hairs..whatever) that get into foods, but I wish they would stop adding all of these things on purpose (especially to make it look prettier).
I am so glad they decided to force companies to put this on the label. I hope it's not Ocean Spray cranberry juice (because I love it & will have to stop drinking it after hearing this).
Not to mention the problems this can cause for people with allergies. I wish I could easily move to more of a raw food diet...I just don't have the time!
Next...the FDA needs to make sure that firms are forced to add to their labels the use of any genetically altered ingredients!
Posted by: Rochelle | Jan 7, 2009 2:17:20 PM
Can someone also give a link to these stories of people falling into meat grinders...I need to know if there are companies with a track record of this problem...
Posted by: Rochelle | Jan 7, 2009 2:18:20 PM
Why are they just now ruling this needs to be on the labels? It even mentions the for vegitarians,Jewish people & anyone concerned with eating animal products this is important info to know already.
Posted by: mom2two08 | Jan 7, 2009 2:18:42 PM
Cochineal is an Beautiful color, though as stated there are problems for vegetarians, people that are allergic to it and people that practice Kosher. The main reason it is used so much now is the aversion to the artificial red and blue colors it has mostly replaced. There are even worse problems with them. And this is nothing compared to what goes into cosmetics and skin creams (human placenta etc.) So you eat some bug extract so what?
Posted by: Docd | Jan 7, 2009 2:30:36 PM
I'd rather not know how my Kool-aid gets its nice bright color.
Posted by: Anonymous | Jan 7, 2009 2:34:43 PM
Well, guess what? Now that we know this little tidbit, does everyone know that the FDA allows so many pieces of rat turds, and bugs as does tunafish? I would imagine everything that is mass-produced is the same because bugs and mice/rats are in the storage places. It's quite disgusting.
Posted by: Jenna | Jan 7, 2009 2:38:37 PM
Eh, I don't mind swallowing a few bugs every now and then, so long as they're not scorpions, and alive.
Posted by: wolf | Jan 7, 2009 2:44:23 PM
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Now I know where the title of that movie came from!
Posted by: rematenaj | Jan 7, 2009 2:45:39 PM
Red Dye # 9 or beetle juice which is worse for you? Yuck.
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Jan 7, 2009 2:55:09 PM
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