Are You Really Eating Bugs?

Have you ever taken a bite of a delicious cupcake and wonder if there were any revolting ingredients in it? Did you ever stop to think that there may be secretions of the Lac beetle on the sprinkles? This ingredient is also known as shellac and is in the shiny coating of sprinkles and skittles. Lac is the name given to the resinous secretion of the tiny Lac insect which is parasitic on certain trees in Asia, particularly India and Thailand. This insect secretion is cultivated and refined because of the commercial value of the finished product known as shellac. The term shellac is derived from shell-Lac (the word for the refined Lac in flake form), but has come to refer to all refined Lac whether in dry or suspended in an alcohol-based solvent.

Carmine is a natural food coloring that has been in production for centuries. It is also a rich shade of crimson most often associated with lipstick. While this may not sound bad at all, it has a serious gross-out factor: carmine is produced through the boiling of highly pigmented beetles. It has been known to cause irritation and allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to it. In addition, red lipstick pigments, including the popular Red #40, are derived from coal tar, a sludgy and toxic mixture that, given enough processing, produces a thin dye generally considered to be safe. However, Red 40 and other artificial colors have been associated with attention deficit, headaches, nausea, and skin irritation- the dyes are certainly not something that you want sitting on your lips all day.

So remember, if you are trying to avoid disgusting ingredients, check the label the next time you are about to consume a food product. You may just be eating bugs.