Important labeling requirements have been made which will effect those with allergies to carmine, or red food dyes, and people who choose not to consume any or certain animals, such as vegetarians, vegans, and followers of certain religions.
Deriving from the dried bodies of crushed beetle carcasses known as, Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), parasites of the prickly pear cactus, Carmine and cochineal are natural red dyes found in many foods that are shades of red, pink, and purple. Sometimes termed "Natural Red #4", these dyes have been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 1990s that a preference for foods without synthetic ingredients had lead to increased use of these natural colors.
Neither carmine nor cochineal extract are Food and Drug Administration certifiable (synthetic) color additives which is why, up until now, they have been acknowledged as "color added", "artificial color added" or simply, "artificial color". In January 2009 the FDA passed a new regulation in which foods and cosmetics containing carmine and cochineal to be listed by name on the label, a regulation that became effective earlier this month.You can view the final rule here.
The use of carmine in foodstuffs has been discouraged by European food safety authorities and yet, the FDA considers them as safe food dyes even though they are causing anaphylaxis in some people as well as reports of hyperactivity. A request from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to require ingredient labels to explicitly state that carmine may cause severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock was declined by the FDA.
A second request from the Center for Science in the Public Interest was also made to require ingredient labels to clearly state that carmine derived from insects was also declined by the FDA. Food industries were understandably against the idea of writing "insect based" on the label, thus they finally agreed to simply putting "carmine".
A Few Common Foods, Cosmetics and Drugs That May Contain Carmine:
Candy, Ice Cream, Fruit Juice, Yogurt, Artificial Crab/Lobster (Carmine cannot legally be added to meat products in the USA), Cherries, Liquor, Vitamins, Lipsticks, and Blush.
Neither carmine nor cochineal extract are Food and Drug Administration certifiable (synthetic) color additives which is why, up until now, they have been acknowledged as "color added", "artificial color added" or simply, "artificial color". In January 2009 the FDA passed a new regulation in which foods and cosmetics containing carmine and cochineal to be listed by name on the label, a regulation that became effective earlier this month.You can view the final rule here.
The use of carmine in foodstuffs has been discouraged by European food safety authorities and yet, the FDA considers them as safe food dyes even though they are causing anaphylaxis in some people as well as reports of hyperactivity. A request from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to require ingredient labels to explicitly state that carmine may cause severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock was declined by the FDA.
A second request from the Center for Science in the Public Interest was also made to require ingredient labels to clearly state that carmine derived from insects was also declined by the FDA. Food industries were understandably against the idea of writing "insect based" on the label, thus they finally agreed to simply putting "carmine".
A Few Common Foods, Cosmetics and Drugs That May Contain Carmine:
Candy, Ice Cream, Fruit Juice, Yogurt, Artificial Crab/Lobster (Carmine cannot legally be added to meat products in the USA), Cherries, Liquor, Vitamins, Lipsticks, and Blush.
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