According to FDA, you're eating crushed bug juice

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Here's the article.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- That ice cream you're eating or the lipstick you're wearing just might contain extract from crushed bugs. On purpose.

And the government thinks you should know.

The Food and Drug Administration proposed Friday requiring food and cosmetic labels to list cochineal extract or carmine if a product's ingredients include either of the two red colorings that have been extracted from the ground bodies of an insect known since the time of the Aztecs.

And here's the bugs.

[Elheru Aran]

Eh, so? I've known about that there for ages. Bugs aren't that bad actually... some of 'em are quite nutritious. Fulla protein, donchaknoo. I've had termite before-- quite good, bit of a mellow nutty taste to it. Cricket is kind of bland though, rather mealy.

[Robert Walper]

Assuming said bugs aren't harmful to your health, bring on the ice cream.

[Pcm979]

*Cough* People eat burned mammal muscle when it's far more recognisable than über-processed-bugjuice. So what's the problem again?

[Uraniun235]

Bugs are a lot more icky than animal flesh.

Especially spiders. *shudder*

[Charon]

I will be mentioning this to my friends next time we are eating ice cream.

I of course won't even stop wolfing mine down, just to disgust them more.

[xBlackFlash]

I can't be the only one whose creeped out by this?

<stereotypical 17yo girl>

Bugs are so yucky!! Ewww!!

</stereotypical 17yo girl>

[Pcm979]

Bugs are incredibly yucky and I will tunnel through walls to get away from them. However, it's not like a live bug's going to crawl out of your ice cream.

Enjoy that mental image, by the way.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

*Cough* People eat burned mammal muscle when it's far more recognisable than über-processed-bugjuice. So what's the problem again?

Well in Northern Sulawesi, people eat Sago Worm as delicacies; sometimes roasted, sometimes raw. Mind you, the food IS recognizable.

A special high-nutrient delicacy among most Sarawak tribes, sago grubs taste like meat and are often consumed raw, smoked or fried. Click here for info on how to prepare this delicacy.

Ah, back to the topic, I guess the reason why they crush Cochineal to get red dye is because Cochineal has red pigment indeed. Now I cannot help but thinking: WHAT kind of insect is used for brown-colored foods like cocholate or Cola softdrinks? A particular species shown below sudenly comes to mind.

[The Silence and I]

Meh. Insects are extremely nutritious and contrary to popular thought they taste just fine (the non-toxic ones anyway).

For example crickets and grasshoppers taste like nuts and are, like all insects, very high in protein. The presence of 6 limbs and strange numbers of eyes and other alien features does not mean they should be gross.

Especially compared to, say, consuming the burned flesh of creatures rather more closely related to yourself...

[Elheru Aran]

Yeah, termites fried up and tossed with a little salt look like nothing more than slightly odd peanuts. Really rather good.

Cockroaches, on the other hand, are reputed to taste pretty damn lousy. There's a reason they're so bloody common... nothing'll eat the fuckers!

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Meh. Insects are extremely nutritious and contrary to popular thought they taste just fine (the non-toxic ones anyway).

Not to mention that insects, being arthropods they are, have chitounous exoskeleton that will crack open when we chew the insect; spilling out its semi-liquid innards to fill our mouth. And of course, since some insects like cockroaches don't die easily, I bet they'll be still kicking when we chew them. I can imagine the hairy legs of a cockroach tickling my throat while I'm eating it.

Cockroaches, on the other hand, are reputed to taste pretty damn lousy. There's a reason they're so bloody common... nothing'll eat the fuckers!

I beg to differ. See above.

[Robert Walper]

While I have no qualms about eating bugs myself, I have a problem eating them alive. Not for my sake, but for the bug's.

[The Silence and I]

I admit that I'm in favor of cooking first. I don't feel for the insect*, but I'd not like the sensation of struggling creatures in my mouth...

*Taking Entomology right now, I'm getting used to killing them in ethanol or with toxic gases.

[xBlackFlash]

It's not just insects and stuff. I'm about two steps away from being a Vegeterian.

Things like chicken or ribs I can't handle cause I can't deal with having to eat something off of a bone, crabs/lobsters don't work because they still look like they did while they were alive, I don't think fish tastes that great either way so thats out, I can't deal with my food being bloody so that takes out most steak... And I could keep going on from there.

I have enough problems with animals. Let alone bugs.