Starbucks has declared that it will no longer use cochineal extract, an insect-derived red coloring, in its wares. If anyone is imagining that the use of this dye is rare or new, they’re ...

When crushed, its body exudes a brilliant red color. Cochineal has been used as a coloring for foods and makeup for centuries. It's all natural. It's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Fiegl, Amanda. "Scientists Make Red Food Dye from Potatoes, Not Bugs." National Geographic. 19 September 2013. Horovitz, Bruce. "Vegans Bash Starbucks for Beetle Coloring in Frappuccinos." ...

Cochineal bugs are used as a red dye in many food items including strawberry yogurt. (Video: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences) By Rachel Feltman. Bugs -- they make our food red.

Cochineal may be made from bugs, but other synthetic red dyes such as Red No. 2 and Red No. 40, which carry far greater health risks, are derived from either coal or petroleum byproducts.

Whichever process you use, it takes a whopping 70,000 cochineal bugs to make just 1 pound of cochineal dye. Peru alone produces 200 tons of the dye each year. Screengrab from rural3saderlan on YouTube ...

Scientists Are Making Cochineal, a Red Dye From Bugs, in the Lab Used to color foods and cosmetics, carminic acid is traditionally ‘farmed’ from an insect.

Jan. 27, 2006 — -- "Beetlejuice" is more than just a movie name -- foodmakers regularly use crushed female cochineal beetles to dye food, particularly certain yogurts, juices and candy, The ...

Cochineal extract, also known as carmine, natural red 4, or E120, is a natural dye derived from the cochineal bug. Despite its “icky” origins, this FDA-approved additive is widely used for its ...

The cochineal is a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico. Female cochineals spend most of their lives with their heads buried in juicy cactus pads, eating and growing. After ...

Cochineal’s significance as a red dye has guided human history in the Americas and beyond. So first, what is cochineal? Cochineal is the name of the insect and the red dye that is made from it.