Waiter, there's a crushed cochineal beetle in my food coloring

Ever wonder how food makers get their fruit products to have such consistent colors? In nature, the color of fruit is often inconsistent. It turns out that products like Dannon Boysenberry Yogurt and Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit juice get their healthy hues in part from crushed female cochineal beetles. Most consumers were unaware of this, as marketers have skirted the issue by putting "color added" or "artificial color" in their ingredient lists. But as of this week, the Food and Drug Administration wants the bugs on the labels as well. The move, which comes after a decade of prodding by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, may be a moot point for some. Jeff Cronin, director of communications for the CSPI, says some companies have been voluntarily listing the ingredients for a while. He says there's more to the issue than the yuck factor. For some people, cochineal beetles cause allergic reactions like hives and difficulty breathing.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman