FDA Forces Food and Cosmetic Manufacturers to List Cochineal Extract and Carmine as Ingredients

The FDA has finalized a rule that will require food and cosmetic companies to list cochineal extract and carmine on the label when they are used in food and cosmetics.  However, the new rule does not require these companies to tell you that these ingredients come from insects.  Cochineal extract and carmine, used to dye food, drinks and cosmetics various shades of red, orange, pink and purple, are extracted from the dried bodies of the female cochineal bug.

The F.D.A. required these ingredients to be listed in the wake of reports that some people have suffered severe allergic reactions to these insect extracts.  The new rule will take effect in 2011.