Okay, I have to admit that I am posting this at the request of my friend Edith Ann(and that's the truth),and after reading a similar article in today's Advocate. Actually, this originally appeared in the Advocate back in 2006, but I s'pose since I wrote it, it isn't technically plagiarism, right?
Breakfast With The Beetles
By pilot in A Pirate Aground In The City
January 27, 2006
Eewww factor high on this one......I caught a piece of a story on the radio about 4:30 this morning on the way to work, regarding the pretty colored fruit on the bottom of Yoplait Raspberry Yogurt, and ruby red grapefruit juice. It turns out that they don't come by those bright red hues quite so naturally, and need a bit of a boost in the pigmentation department to spiff 'em up and make them look all the more tasty, they do. Also turns out that the most effective and safe coloring agent for these products, comes from a little cactus eating female beetle from south of the border known as Dactylopius coccus.
By the way, they also use this dye in shampoo, candy, and many other products as well.
Credit the Aztecs and Mexican indigenous tribes for discovering this little bug, and the Spaniards for capitalizing on it.
Yes Birddog - I Snopes'd this one. Like I said - 8.5 eewww factor. Probably pegs the needle on the PETA (people eating tasty animals) meter too, considering it takes about 70,000 of these ladybugs to make a pound of dye.
I'd love to hammer on this one more, but it's time to head downstairs to the Greasy Spoon for a yogurt and some grapefruit juice.........
Read about your breakfast here:
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/bugjuice.htm
