At summer camp we called the bright-red beverage we had for lunch bug juice. Lo these many years later, it turns out the joke was on us. The liquid in those beaded pitchers probably owed its rosy hue to artificial coloring derived from the dried bodies of the cochineal beetle.
Consumers—not only of “bug juice,” but also of many reddish-colored yogurts, ice creams, candies, and liquors—had no way of knowing they were consuming insects. Producers were allowed to use the term “artificial coloring” or “color added” on labels. Yuck factor aside, there were several cases of serious allergic reactions caused by cochineal extract, also known as carmine. Jews, Muslims, vegans, vegetarians, and others opposed to eating six-legged creepy-crawlies on moral grounds were also kept in the dark.
More than a decade after the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) first filed a legal petition, the FDA finally issued a ruling last week requiring that the colorings be listed on labels under their true names.
Unfortunately, the ruling has as many holes in it as a termite mound. For one thing, the labels won’t reveal that the compound is insect-based, which is “just plain sneaky,” according to the CSPI’s Michael Jacobson, who suggests, “Call these colorings what they are.”
And even after ten years of deliberations, the FDA is in no haste to see its edict imposed. Buried under pages of bureaucratic language in the ruling is a loophole giving manufacturers 24 months to get the new wording on their ingredient lists. The FDA says that will allow the corporations plenty of time to reprint labels. It would also allow plenty of time for more unknowing consumers to suffer severe allergic reactions.
One hopes that things can be speeded up under the new team in Washington, assuming it doesn’t have the outgoing administration’s fondness for bugs.
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