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.
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. 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.
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.
Carmine is a bright red pigment made from cochineal insects, commonly used in cosmetics, food coloring, and art, valued for its vibrant, rich color. It's comforting to think that your strawberry yogurt's pleasant pink color comes from fresh, ripe berries. Starbucks has confirmed that its strawberry flavored drinks contain a new ingredient of cochineal extract, a red dye made out of crushed cochineal beetles.
Under pressure from vegetarians and vegans, Starbucks plans to stop using a red dye made from crushed bugs called cochineal in some of its products. Dannon's strawberry yogurt is colored using an additive made from crushed bugs. Some are grossed out, but Dannon's use of crushed bugs in its yogurt isn't that bad, and it's not the only everyday.
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.