In a recent PR crisis, Starbucks has had to deal with the public outcry against the use of cochineal extract in certain products. You're probably wondering, "Where is the cochineal extracted from? And how does it make my strawberry smoothie from Starbucks so damn red?"
The coloring is extracted from the dried bodies of the female cochineal bug.
As it turns out, lots of foods dyed bright colors use this. It also turns out that some folks are allergic to it, meaning the FDA is now requiring that it be called out on labels.
Click through the images to discover more foods that use dried bugs as food coloring.
Note: Cochineal extract is safe. Just not for vegetarians.
[via Buzzfeed]
