You May Be Eating More Insects Than You Think

Food makers may not want to dwell on it, but the ingredient that gives Dannon Boysenberry yogurt and Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit juice their distinctive colors comes from crushed female cochineal beetles.

Pressed by consumer advocates, the FDA is expected to publish a food-labeling proposal online today that would require companies to disclose when a food contains beetle-derived colorings including vivid-red "carmine" and bright-orange "cochineal". And the public has 60 days to comment before a final ruling is made.
Under current FDA regulations, food labels must identify certain man-made colorings by name. But for carmine, cochineal and other naturally occurring ingredients, companies can use terms such as "color added" or, oddly, "artificial color."
Bugged by the loophole, Vegetarians, who don’t want to eat insects, and consumers observing kosher dietary practices. Products containing carmine "may look like kosher," but they aren’t, says a Rabbi, "There are a lot of people who will not be happy to know that they are eating products that contain dried beetle."