Who here knows how they make the dye "carmine?"

[peaceful_mama]

I just learned probably the most DISGUSTING thing I've learned about food additives yet....

I googled the ingredients of "Go-Gurt" to see if it contains gelatin.  Not because I buy it lol, i don't on the basic principle that I don't consider it to be a real food  LOL

But DS1 wanted to bring them to school for snack, which tells me somebody brought them.   I just didn't think they would....aren't they kind of spendy to buy 30?  And need refrigeration.  I know to check for gelatin in yogurt, but i just sort of assumed people were bringing non-refrigerated snacks lol

Anyway, they contain kosher gelatin, so I guess we're OK there.

BUT.....the site had a link to information on the coloring they use.  It's called "carmine" and it makes things red.

Guess how they make it?  THEY BOIL BUGS.  It's the red from scales on some sort of nasty insect.  They boil the bugs, then they add junk to that to kill any bacteria and stuff basically.

WHERE oh WHERE is that barf smiley when I need it?!?!?!  That has to be the absolute MOST DISGUSTING thing I've learned yet!  :P

[Chamomile Girl]

Mmmmmm bugs. That probably qualifies as "natural color".

[peaceful_mama]

Oh and here's another interesting little fact about Go-Gurt.....it has more sugar per ounce  than Coke.

But "sugar" is not the first ingredient....the yoplait people are smart...they used sugar and HFCS so they can list it separately and parents just see that the first ingredient is not sugar.

THIS is why I've started going by instinct and I just don't buy "food" (use that term loosely here ;))  that is marketed to children, obviously 'gimmicky' and multi-colored.

[terrordactyl]

better than red dye #40 i think

[Sativarain1]

more sugar than soda? That's not good. I usually buy Yo Kid which are organic versions of a go gurt, but I never inspected the ingredient list.

[peaceful_mama]

Yes, more sugar per ounce than Coke.  AND....another name for our lovely red bug dye is actually  "Natural Red #40"   ugghhhhhhhhhhhh  If I wanted to eat a flippin bug I'd straight up do it for a bunch of money like Andrew Zimmern  ;)

[ASusan]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl 

Mmmmmm bugs. That probably qualifies as "natural color".

It does. And I would prefer bug color to a chemically created one. Of course, my first preference is no coloring.

Gotta love the yogurt marketing.

Check the label of some ketchups. They list HFCS and corn syrup separately. If they had to combine them, corn syrup would be the first ingredient.

I'm so glad my nurse-educator mother taught me to read labels back in the 70s-80s, when she was teaching her (few) obese students to put the 8(?) teaspoons of sugar in a Coke into a plastic baggie to demonstrate how much sugar was in it. Ahhh, for the days Coke had sugar in it!

[imogenlily]

OTOH - while I personally would not eat a gogurt, people eat bugs in lots of places in the world. It's not our cultural norm in North America, but it worries me less than all that HFCS or an artificial dye.

[Annie Mac]

This is a commonly used dye. It often falls under the label "natural colour." And technically, it is. It's less awful than the chemically created dyes, imo...but there's really NO reason for dyes whatsoever. If you can't make your food look appetizing on its own merit, then rethink the recipe!

[philomom]

Does this mean if you are vegan, you can't eat anything with carmine?

[Chamomile Girl]

Originally Posted by philomom 

Does this mean if you are vegan, you can't eat anything with carmine?

Yes.

Its in lots of makeup too...

[imogenlily]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl 

Originally Posted by philomom 

Does this mean if you are vegan, you can't eat anything with carmine?

Yes.

Its in lots of makeup too...

It's in a prescription med I take, too.
 

[Sativarain1]

The bug used as coloring doesn't bother me so much, I agree with other's better than a chemical created in a lab.

[KempsMama]

Funny Go Gurt related story...my DS1 was almost two when he went to spend the weekend with my mom.  My little sister eats the crud out of the gross stuff, and offered one to my son.  he loves yogurt, so he took it happily.  He took one bite, almost lost his lunch, and screamed "That is NOT cream-cream (His word for yogurt), it's SLIME!!!"  To this day, if he sees the stuff he goes on a rant about how they are trying to trick children into thinking slime is yogurt. 

[peaceful_mama]

LOL tricking kids into thinking slime is yogurt!  LOOOOOL  :)  (he is right, it's not a food lol)  my thing with the bugs is i'd rather KNOW.