Well, I hate tomatoes, but I love ketchup. Even more so since I just found out what’s in the mix…
INSECTS!
Lots of them. Ground up and crushed into a dye that turns the ketchup RED.
Lovely, eh?
There’s something in your teeth…
This ingredient is called cochineal extract (also listed as carminic acid or carmine), and it is used to color many other food items as well: yogurt, grapefruit juice… Things that need a pleasing red tone.
Cochineal extract is made from cochineal insects. A tiny insect that lives on cactus plants, mostly found in Mexico and South America.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Still hungry?
This insect is used in more than just food products, too: cosmetics, lipstick (E120 or Natural Red 4), blush, and even paint and fabric dye.
It sort of reminds me of that I Love Lucy clip where Lucille Ball stomps grapes with her feet…
Frappuccino, anyone?
