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?

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/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