Popular yogurt brand Dannon reportedly uses carmine, a coloring agent that comes from insects, in some of its products, according to Delish.com.
Carmine is a color additive made with the crushed bodies of cochineal beetles. Carmine is listed as an ingredient in many of the company's yogurts, but according to the Huffington Post, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has an issue with Dannon's coloring process.
According to the company's website, Dannon uses the coloring for the strawberry flavor of its Oikos brand Greek Yogurt; the pomegranate berry flavor of its "Light and Fit" yogurt; the blueberry flavor of its "Light and Fit Greek" yogurt. The coloring is used for its "Fruit on the Bottom" line, as well as, several flavors for its Activia Brand Yogurt.
The ingredient could prove to be a problem for vegetarians or consumers with dietary restrictions. Allergies could also create an issue for some of the consumers.
"Any of our products that contain carmine clearly list it as an ingredient," said Michael J. Neuwirth, Dannon's senior director of public relations, in an interview with the Huffington Post. If a person had any allergies or restrictions to eating food it is their responsibility to read the ingredients he added.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, carmine is considered a natural color additive and exempts it from stringent certifications.
CSPI believes Dannon should replace carmine with color from fruits that are advertised on their labels, according to the Huffington Post. CSPI is sponsoring an online campaign on TakePack.com addressing the issue.
"Given the fact... [it's] easy to use safer, planet-based colors, why would Dannon user it at all?" CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson said of the ingredient in a press release. "Why risk offending vegetarians and grossing out your other customers?"
Dannon isn't the first company to be hit with a carmine backlash. Last year, Starbucks was bashed for using cochineal extract in its Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino and strawberry-flavored smoothies. As a result, Starbucks ditched the ingredient for lycopene, a natural, tomato-based extract.
Starbucks stores will begin carrying Dannon Greek-style parfaits, by the spring of 2014, the company announced Tuesday.
