2008 Woodie Awards
Dye may cause some consumers to bug out
Nicole Chismar
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: World
- Page 1 of 1
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into regulations this week regarding a type of red dye commonly used in many food and cosmetic products. The dye, formally known as cochineal extract or carmine, is ground from the female bodies of beetles.
This insect feeds off red cactus berries and was first recognized as a source of coloring by Indians that lived in pre-Columbian Mexico.
It takes about 70,000 of these wingless female beetles to make one pound of cochineal extract.
The bugs are killed in boiling water, then their corpses are laid out to dry in the sun before being crushed into the powder dye.
Today, the extract is commonly used in Yoplait and Dannon yogurt, Tropicana Orange-strawberry juice, ice cream, strawberry milk, fake crab and lobster, fruit cocktail, cherries, port wine cheese, lumpfish eggs, and liqueurs such as Campari. It is also present in lipstick, eye shadow, eyeliners, nail polishes, and baby products.
The proposed rule, published on Friday, would require that manufacturers "flag the presence of cochineal extract in their products."
The suggestion comes after more than 35 reports of severe allergic reactions to the dye surfaced. Presently, cochineal extract in products is listed as E120 or under the umbrella term "color added" on nutrition labels.
The FDA declined to ban the use of extract since it found no evidence of a "significant hazard" to the overall population.
Additionally, it ruled out a request that labels disclose the source of the dye, as requested by some interest groups.
The proposal has left many wondering why the information was never explicit to begin with. Lauren Moses '07 agreed, saying, "I think it's gross that we are eating bugs and no one ever told me!"
Jocelyn Wiener '07 concurred. "It's beneficial to the consumer to know what is in the products," she said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Berard '07 put an economic spin on the issue. "The FDA has an obligation to inform consumers about what products contain," he said.
"I don't feel that this regulation will necessarily hurt the food industry. In the long run a greater market demand among consumers with allergies could possibly develop if the red dye problem escalates," Berard continued.
Comments on the proposed rule are due on April 27. The agency also plans to discuss the labeling of prescription drugs in a separate ruling.
Sources: CNN, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, American Council on Science and Health
This insect feeds off red cactus berries and was first recognized as a source of coloring by Indians that lived in pre-Columbian Mexico.
It takes about 70,000 of these wingless female beetles to make one pound of cochineal extract.
The bugs are killed in boiling water, then their corpses are laid out to dry in the sun before being crushed into the powder dye.
Today, the extract is commonly used in Yoplait and Dannon yogurt, Tropicana Orange-strawberry juice, ice cream, strawberry milk, fake crab and lobster, fruit cocktail, cherries, port wine cheese, lumpfish eggs, and liqueurs such as Campari. It is also present in lipstick, eye shadow, eyeliners, nail polishes, and baby products.
The proposed rule, published on Friday, would require that manufacturers "flag the presence of cochineal extract in their products."
The suggestion comes after more than 35 reports of severe allergic reactions to the dye surfaced. Presently, cochineal extract in products is listed as E120 or under the umbrella term "color added" on nutrition labels.
The FDA declined to ban the use of extract since it found no evidence of a "significant hazard" to the overall population.
Additionally, it ruled out a request that labels disclose the source of the dye, as requested by some interest groups.
The proposal has left many wondering why the information was never explicit to begin with. Lauren Moses '07 agreed, saying, "I think it's gross that we are eating bugs and no one ever told me!"
Jocelyn Wiener '07 concurred. "It's beneficial to the consumer to know what is in the products," she said.
Meanwhile, Christopher Berard '07 put an economic spin on the issue. "The FDA has an obligation to inform consumers about what products contain," he said.
"I don't feel that this regulation will necessarily hurt the food industry. In the long run a greater market demand among consumers with allergies could possibly develop if the red dye problem escalates," Berard continued.
Comments on the proposed rule are due on April 27. The agency also plans to discuss the labeling of prescription drugs in a separate ruling.
Sources: CNN, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, American Council on Science and Health