It appears to be plain adverse publicity that caused the Seattle-based Coffea arabica purveyor to swap cochineal for another natural but less controversial food colouring.
Quelle horreur! Starbucks adds crushed bug extract to the strawberries-and-cream Frappuccino, it was recently revealed. A virtuous vegan barista employed by the well-known Coffea purveyor posted a picture of their ingredient list to a vegetarian blog.
The scale insect, Dactylopius coccus, feeds on the prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica, a New World native now widely distributed elsewhere. Known to the Maya and Aztec, the crushed dried bodies were highly valued by the Spanish conquistadors.
Shipped by the chest load back to Europe it was used to dye the clothing of the beau monde. Later it found favour for creating the famous redcoats of the British army.
Thanks to the invention cheaper industrial coal tar based dyes commencing in the mid-19th-century, cochineal production languished. With renewed interest natural resources, however, interest has revived. Today production of the scale insect and the cactus on which it feeds is increasing in Mexico, Peru and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, to which it was introduced some centuries ago.
The red colour is caused by carminic acid, a toxic substance produced by the female insects to deter potential predators. For it is the female Dactylopius coccus that sacrifice their selves to produce the valued dye. Indeed the sex life of scale insects is so bizarre that even CBC’s The Nature of Things has declined to explain it.
A few of the thousands of commercial uses found for this natural colouring agent:
Sausages, some cheddar cheese, candies, cookies, yogurts, gelatin desserts, juices, strawberry milkshakes, Campari are just a few of the foods and drinks that cochineal may be used to colour, although it is neither kosher nor halal since it originates from insects
Lipstick, nail polish, blush, eye shadow, mascara – almost anything in the cosmetic line
Shampoo
Fine art fabrics, embroidery thread, haut couture
Alas, like just about anything, natural or artificial, there will be a miniscule proportion of the population who are allergic to it. Cochineal colouring has been known to cause swelling, rashes, and respiratory problems.
But it appears to be plain adverse publicity that caused the Seattle-based Coffea arabica purveyor to swap cochineal for another natural but less controversial food colouring. By the end of June, strawberry banana smoothies, raspberry swirl cake, birthday cake pops, mini doughnuts with pink icing and red velvet whoopee pie will receive their rosy hues from lycopene, a tomato-based colouring extract. “As our customers, you expect and deserve better – and we promise to do better,” wrote Starbucks’ U.S. President, the colourfully named Cliff Burrows.
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
