Did you know that the dye used to color Ocean Spray is derived from bug shells? Ocean Spray contains cochineal extract, made from, natch, the shells of the cochineal insect.
Other products containing cochineal extract include: Dole Diced Peaches In Strawberry Gel Fruit Bowl, Sobe Lizard Fuel , Tropicana Orange Strawberry Juice with Calcium, and Robitussin Honey Calmers Natural Throat Drops.
Don’t worry, though, humans have been using the bug dye since Aztec and Mayan times, who used it for rugs and such. That’s right, from the people who brought you ritualistic virgin sacrifice, an exciting new taste sensation!
However, some say the cochineal’s natural dye is healthier than one made in a lab. Still, vegetarians or people with certain allergies will want to avoid products containing cochineal extract. — BEN POPKEN
(Thanks to NeroDiavolo!)
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@valkin: oh yeah, talk dirty to me baby.
My bro’s a vegetarian, his girlfriend is a vegan. Now, being a vegetarian is alright, nothing too hard, but vegans(there’s a difference, for those who didn’t know) are pretty hardcore. I don’t think I could deal without dairy, though the silk(soy milk) isn’t bad.
And so? Please, its not like its FD&C Red No. 2.
Why does cranberry juice need red dye anyhow? Aren’t cranberries red?
aren’t ruby red grapefuits red too? they would still be light pink even with all that corn syrup. What’s with the dye?
It might sound gross, but it’s not to bad when you think about it. I forget the exact number but they say a person will swallow ___ many bugs in their lifetime without even knowing it. I wish I could recall the number but I can tell you that it was quite large. Some things are best kept away from our thoughts, enjoy your ocean spray! It tastes just as good as it did before you read this article.
Ewww!!! What I don’t know won’t hurt me. But now thanks to Consumerist, I’m hurt.
Using bugs in food is kewl, and I think it’s awesome that we as humans have atleast continued something for a long period of time. It does not matter what culture started it but it’s great we have found great ways of using nature in our foods and clothing etc. It shows that God made the world and all things in it to improve our lives and to be useful in many ways.
Really, lay off the vegetarians/vegans.
I’m vegetarian, have been for over oh…ten years. Even though my parents AND brother eat meat, I don’t say a word. Their choice as it’s my choice not to. I see nothing wrong with our choice.
But I say that to ANYONE who decides to try and force their lifestyle onto me for WHATEVER reason (Or anyone else for that matter) get a damn life. You want to eat dead cow? Fine. Just don’t get on my case for it.
Really some people here are just as pathetic as the vegetarians who try to guilt trip you into going vegetarian/vegan.
If I want to be vegetarian that is MY choice. There is no need for me to listen to anyone who dosen’t like how I live MY life.
@kendra.e: Yes, the cranberry or pink grapefruit would have a red or pink color. However, that color would vary based on individual crops, even when blended together. Having bottles of the same juice in different shades of red or pink isn’t appealing to most consumers, so the dye gives the product a consistent appearance.
Another possibility is that other additives affect the natural coloring of the juice and the dye covers that up.
Personally, I’m going to file this under the category of “Did you know …” conversation. For instance, I’ve always heard the best way to become a vegetarian was to work for a fast food restaurant. Thankfully, the only one I’ve worked in has always maintained a better than normal work area.
Oh, and the bugs crawling in the mouth thing is creepy. Not that the bugs themselves are something I’ll worry about eating. I just don’t like the thought. I’ve never woke up beside a bug I found attractive enough to test my palate on.
This doesn’t disturb or gross me out in the least. Then again, I’m one of the few people who positively craved a Big Mac after watching the oh-so-sanctimonious Super Size Me.
homerjay:
“I find it funny that people will get skeeved over this and still eat stuff like steamed clams. You may as well eat your household water filter.
I’ve got nothing against steamed clams. I’d just never put one to my mouth. I find everything about them yucky.”
I love fried clams, but I made my mother completely stop eating the oysters she loved when I explained the concept of a “filter feeder” to her. Nasty indeed, if you think about it, but they can be easily cleaned.
Cochineal doesn’t bother me…neither does carageenan (the seaweed extract). I’m sure I’ve eaten much worse stuff that was born in a laboratory somewhere.
Campari also uses the same “bug shell” dye for their red coloring…which by the way is great with grapefruit juice!
@Firstborn Dragon: Your lifestyle choices are bad and you should feel bad.
Something seems very appropraite about a drink called Lizard Fuel containing bugs.
@ct03: Most cheese in the US is made with artificial rennet grown by bacterial colonies, so as long as you stick with mass-produced cheeses rather than artisinal, you’re okay.
PS — what’s gross about whey? I don’t get it.
If you’d really like an eye opening experience take a look at the website for the FDA’s Food Defect Action Levels, i.e. “Levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods
that present no health hazards for humans”
You’ll find out you’ve been eating all sorts of lovely bug parts, mildew, “rodent filth” etc. that you had no idea about.
For example: BROCCOLI, FROZEN Insects and mites
(AOAC 945.82) Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams
or how about
TOMATO PASTE, PIZZA AND OTHER SAUCES Drosophila fly
(AOAC 955.46) Average of 30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams
OR
15 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggots per 100 grams
OR
2 or more maggots per 100 grams in a minimum of 12 subsamples
But don’t worry everybody, the significance is only “Aesthetic”. All that stuff you’ve been eating so far hasn’t hurt you, so why worry about it?
@dvizzl: I see such lists quoted often, they’re great for the “yuck!” factor.
The list outlines what is acceptable some of the time because despite best efforts, bug parts will happen. But I guarantee that if a producer is hitting those limits on a consistent basis, they’re going to find the FDA and the local inspection authority paying a visit.
@timmus: Here in Texas, cochineal-infected cactus is really easy to find. You can scrape a white lump off and rub it between your fingers and you get red dye on your hand. The Wikipedia article on cochineal goes into the details of how they scale that up to farm size.
Personally, I think it’s grosser that many perfumes and lipsticks contain musk scraped from weasel asses. (Specifically, civet cats.)
DVIZZL:
There’s an old book a teacher once read us exceprts from called “Flies in the peanut butter”
was nothing but fact like those.
Seriously, would you buy that bottle of cranberry juice if it wasn’t that perfect red color? (That second photo looks like yarn in a dye vat) I grew up on a farm, so I’m used to things not being 100% perfect but still edible, but the other 90% of America that isn’t farming isn’t. The quality demands of modern consumers is something that mother nature cannot supply on a regular basis. Heck, I reckon there’s something in the big chemical names of your OJ that enhance the color.
Case in point, my dad took out a contract to grow a few acres of pinto beans on our farm. Unfortunately we had an overabundance of rain that year which discolored the beans. The beans were PERFECTLY safe to eat and apart from color tasted like pinto beans. However, because of the discoloration they could not be sold for human consumption.
Moral of the story? People are absolutely stupid.