The Cochineal Insect

Quite often it pays not to think of what is in an end product. When we buy things, be they food, cosmetics or any one of the other thousands of products out there, they are nicely packaged and have just popped out of the factory. However, they are often made from some pretty interesting things.

For example, have you ever heard of the cochineal insect? Most people haven’t, but you can bet they have eaten one or more likely tens of thousands before. If you have ever eaten anything red, then chances are that you were eating cochineal insects. They live on a prickly cactus in the south western United States and are prized as an excellent source of natural red dye. The insects are dried and ground up into powder then cooked to release colour, after which the powder is then used as a dye for fibre, fabric and other materials, as well as in both food and cosmetics.  Crazy huh?

Next time you or your friend has something red to eat or drink, something that has been coloured, then you can be sure that there are a number of cochineal beetles in their making it red. Don’t worry though, it is perfectly safe and has been used for many years around the world.