Whether it be the terms of service of a device or app, or the ingredients in the various products bought, it is incredibly common for many of the things said on them to go unnoticed, ignored and not looked into fully. So it goes without much surprise that there is not much discussion about a very common ingredient found in many of the foods and drinks that are being bought by the public. This ingredient is Red 4.
The ingredient, Red 4, is also known as E120. Red 4 is a food dye that is used to provide the red coloring to several foods that are enjoyed by many. However, one of the biggest things that is not as commonly known about Red 4 is how it is made. The main ingredient in the making of the dye is none other than the cochineal bug. The cochineal bugs are mostly located in places like Peru and are a commonly traded resource in the world. The dried female cochineal bugs are more specifically used in the creation of Red 4. These small, dried bugs are ground up into a dark red powder that, when mixed with water, turns into their scarlet red dye.
Many of the food types that Red 4 is found in are artificially flavored sweets. This list includes many cake mixes, some strawberry flavored drinks and yogurts. Possibly the most common and biggest containers of the dye, however, are gummy candies. Gummy bears, worms and jellybeans are all sweets that contain the cochineal bug-made dye to give them their dark red color. One of the most shocking of these gummies is the ever-popular Nerd’s Gummy Clusters. The sweet red gummy center that holds all the nerds together in the candy is given its color due to the cochineal bug.
While the creation behind Red 4 is certainly unnerving, it should also be said that, unlike other food dyes, due to being a more natural substance is not as bad for an individual’s health unless they are severely allergic to the ingredient. Red 4 is just one of many ingredients that can be found in a lot of food that is accessible to the general public. Hopefully, with this information, you can look into and examine everything you buy and put into your body.
