Strawberry Yogurt Colored With Bugs

Fruit doesn't color strawberry Yoplait yogurt red. It's carmine, natural red dye made from crushed cochineal bugs. People have used it for centuries.

Ever taken a close look at the ingredient list of a brightly colored strawberry yogurt, a pink-frosted cupcake, or a ruby-red juice? You might be in for a creepy-crawly surprise! That's because one common food dye, responsible for those vibrant reds and pinks, is secretly made from something unexpected and, for some, quite disgusting. A name-brand strawberry yogurt "Colored with Carmine," cochineal insects. Evidently, the company received a lot of flak from vegan and vegetarian communities for serving bugs in their drinks.

The Hidden Additives in Your Yogurt Bug-Based Dye: A Not-So-Natural Color Dannon's strawberry, cherry, and raspberry yogurts owe their vibrant pink hues to carmine, a red dye made from crushed cochineal insects. Approximately 40,000 bugs are required to produce one pound of this dye, which has been linked to allergic reactions in some consumers. Michael has taken Dannon to task over one issue: If you eat Dannon's "Fruit on the Bottom" strawberry, raspberry, cherry, or boysenberry yogurt, or the strawberry variety of Dannon's Oikos Greek yogurt, you are eating carmine.

The bright red color in strawberry yogurt comes from cochineal insects, which produce carminic acid, a natural dye used in various products for centuries. Carmine is a bright red pigment made from cochineal insects, commonly used in cosmetics, food coloring, and art, valued for its vibrant, rich color. Curious if strawberry yogurt contains red dye? We reveal the truth about common colorants like carmine and Red #40, and help you find brands using natural fruit.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants global yogurt giant Dannon to put berries over bugs. Dannon uses carmine-a dye extracted from the dried, pulverized bodies of cochineal insects-to give several varieties of fruit-flavored yogurt their pink color. The nonprofit food watchdog group says that Dannon's practice cheats consumers, who might expect that the named fruits.

If you think it's fruit that colors strawberry Yoplait yogurt red, think again. It's carmine, a natural red dye derived from crushed cochineal bugs. People have used it for thousands of years.