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    Home » Articles » Food Facts

    Is It Vegan: Red Colouring

    25 November, 2009 by Kip Leave a Comment

    Is red dye/colouring vegan?

    Cochineal (E120 or red #4), also labeled as carmine, carminic acid, is a red dye derived from the cochineal beetle. I've seen it in everything from candy sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) to savoury pre-packaged meal options. It's a common ingredient, but other options are available. Products which use this may include, but aren't limited to:

    • Candies and sweets
    • Commercial juices (e.g. Tropicana) and fruit bases (e.g. strawberry yoghurt, McDonalds' strawberry shakes)
    • Makeup (how do you think they got those lips so red)
    • Lots of junk food (and I don't just mean sweet stuff)

    As a side, another vegan offender is shellac, which comes from the secretion of the lac insect (a relative of  the cochineal beetle). This is generally considered to be a vegetarian product as the secretion is a by-product. Common uses include, but are not limited to:

    • Coating fruit in your local supermarket
    • Varnish and polishes
    • Lip salves
    • Glazing agents for confectionary goods

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    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

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