Disclosure- This is a sponsored post written by me. I have been compensated for this post but all opinions are 100% my own. This is a cause that is important to me and why I agreed to join this campaign.
How many of you would like to eat an insect like the beetle below? I am sure most of you said, “No way!” I personally wouldn’t want to eat a beetle or other insect. But did you know that most of us are eating them without even knowing?
How many of you would like to eat an insect like the beetle below? I am sure most of you said, “No way!” I personally wouldn’t want to eat a beetle or other insect. But did you know that most of us are eating them without even knowing?
I love to eat yogurt. It satisfies my sweet tooth, is a great source of calcium, and can be part of a healthy diet. I’ve been eating Dannon Yogurt for years but I recently found out what they are putting inside some of their yogurt flavors. When you buy raspberry or strawberry yogurt, you expect it to be red from the fruit inside, right? Well that isn’t always the case. Dannon uses some smashed up bugs to get the red extract color for their yogurt. And they aren’t alone. Many companies are using insects to color their food and while gross, it is totally legal. When you see “natural colors” or “natural flavors” listed as an ingredient, many times it is actually from an insect. Ewwww!This is not only gross, but for people with allergies it can be serious or even fatal. Imagine a child who is allergic to insects eating some yogurt colored by beetles and getting hives or worse, going into anaphylactic shock! Let’s get the message out to Dannon to please change what they are using to color their yogurt by signing this petition.
Starbucks used to use bugs in their red frappuccinos and smoothies, but switched to non-critter based natural colors after a similar petition. We are hoping that Dannon will also make the switch and hopefully lead other brands to do the same.Please take a moment to SIGN THE PETITION ASKING DANNON TO STOP USING INSECTS TO COLOR THEIR YOGURT and share this with everyone you know. Let’s get the word out so Dannon and other companies will make the switch.
Want to learn more? Below are some articles with more information:
http://www.citizens.org/products-using-carmine-a-food-coloring-derived-from-ground-up-insects/
http://www.citizens.org/products-using-carmine-a-food-coloring-derived-from-ground-up-insects/
http://www.citizens.org/lunch-box-wars-consumer-advocates-want-dannon-clearly-label-bug-based-ingredients/
http://fedup.com.au/factsheets/additive-and-natural-chemical-factsheets/120-cochineal
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v46je03.htm
http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2012/04/19/starbucks-gets-the-bugs-out-of-strawberry-frapps.aspx
http://allergies.answers.com/symptoms/typical-symptoms-associated-with-carmine-allergies
http://www.befoodsmart.com/ingredients/cochineal-extract.php
http://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Policy/Warning-over-cochineal-extract-in-Japan
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/1760
http://fedup.com.au/factsheets/additive-and-natural-chemical-factsheets/120-cochineal
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v46je03.htm
http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2012/04/19/starbucks-gets-the-bugs-out-of-strawberry-frapps.aspx
http://allergies.answers.com/symptoms/typical-symptoms-associated-with-carmine-allergies
http://www.befoodsmart.com/ingredients/cochineal-extract.php
http://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Policy/Warning-over-cochineal-extract-in-Japan
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/1760
Did you signing this petition yet?
Cochineal extract and Carmine have been used for hundreds of years. If you’ve ever worn a red shade of lipstick, chances are, you’ve worn bugs on your lips. People are allergic to honey, which also, is a natural product that comes from insects. It’s actually regurgitated nectar from flowers that has already been mixed with the bee’s enzymes to turn it into honey. In other words, bee vomit. You could go with Red #40, once made from coal tar, now from petroleum, also a natural product, and yes, people have reactions to that, too. There are insects in almost everything we eat, organic or otherwise. Unless you are allergic to cochineal extract, there’s no real health risk. So far, I’ve heard nothing about the number of allergic reactions, but I can fairly assume it’s not as bad as peanut butter, especially with all of the items it is used in. I have a friend that is so allergic to shellfish, that if he even breathes in cooking fumes, he will go into anaphylaxis. Does that mean all restaurants should stop cooking and serving seafood, because he has an allergy? No. It is his allergy, and therefore, his responsibility. You have the right to not eat items that contain it, and doing so may mean that you might have to give up buying your favorite yogurt for another that doesn’t contain it. It’s not the yogurt company’s responsibility, it is yours. Frankly, I’d much rather go after the rat hairs and insect parts in peanut butter, which are not listed in the ingredients, and are a result of unsanitary and poor processing practices…
One product at a time honestly. I have a problem with rat hairs and insect parts, too. But that isn’t what this post is about. It is not necessary to make a product redder with insects rather than just the fruit that is in it anyway.
So if insects are in your food by mistake, it’s okay? I don’t see where it’s different, since bugs are in most, if not all the food, and I don’t see how it’s any less “Ewwww gross”. And somehow, having a rare anaphylactic reaction from this cochineal beetle is somehow different than something like peanuts, which has far greater amounts of people who are allergic? At least Dannon puts it on the ingredient list. I just don’t understand why it is such a big deal, when it is in so many products, food and otherwise. We’ve all been consuming it for years. Do you even know why Dannon puts the red dye in the yogurt? My guess is, people complained about the natural color that the red fruits take on once they interact with the yogurt, discoloring to a less than appetizing color to the consumer. I’m sure if you look in your cupboard, you’ll find many more items that contain it, also. Personally, I’d rather have an ingredient that has been derived naturally than something chemical that was made in a lab.