I wish I didn't know myself.

And when I found out, I felt obligated to tell my son's GF about it, since she is a vegetarian.

I was not very popular for a while.

And I love(d) Good 'n Plenty! It's okay though, seetheworld. I'll just drink more anisette!

Vegetarians also have to watch out for the beers they choose. Fish and animal products are used as clarifying agents in many beers.

As for products with cochineal--it's non-Kosher for Jews; Moslems can't consume it as well (haraam)

Red dye #40 comes from coal, not the insects.

Ha! This thread proves that Fodor's threads can take up some rather arcane, but actually quite useful information, for readers! The subject? Coccineal dye in Campari-yes, the red color comes from a particular ground up insect, however, that's not the bad part-THIS, I found out today, having just returned from my adored Venice for two weeks, was EXACTLY what caused me, after switching from an Aperol-based "spritz" -the drink of the Veneto-to a Campari base-which I found I liked as well, and my friends drank their spritzes with Campari, and would order me spritzes with Campari, so I drank them too, UNTIL after some 3 days of rather too much "spritzing" I broke out in a mysterious rash on both my arms, and a bit on the chest. Itchy, quite itchy. I knew I was having an allergic reaction to something, having had allergies all my life, but was trying to run through what I was eating or drinking that was different that could have caused this. Octopus maybe? which I eat every single day while in Venice? It has never caused any reaction in me before, and I've eaten at least the equivalent of a small octopus in previous long trips in Italy. The only thing I could come up with that was different was the Campari-as I have never actually done anything more than taken a sip or two of Campari before. I then took a break from "lo spritz" and switched to drinking just straight prosecco as an aperitivo before dinner, and my rash noticeably lessened, and is now gone.

Today I did some internet sleuthing on the subject, and sure enough, the use of this particular dye has indeed caused allergic reactions in people, many from drinking Campari, and now this particular "natural" red food coloring must be labeled on food products, because it has been known to cause anaphylactic shock, in addition to cases of urticaria (itching, hives) in people.

And the "yuck" factor is well-stated-the idea of consuming ground up beetle-like insects is intensely unpalatable to me-so anyone who has allergic reactions to red food dye, or has allergic reactions to foods, and/or is vegetarian will want to be aware of this.

Speaking of Cynar, I was in a coffee bar on the Piazza Ferretto in Mestre on Sunday (which, by the way, is not at all a bad place, with a nice little 12th century Torre at one end, and a Duomo at the other-it's where Venetians go to shop for clothes) and became intrigued by the artichoke on the Cynar bottle, so the barista poured me a small dram to taste. It is a dark, brownish liquid, and was not terribly unpleasant-a "digestivo" -as the Italians call it- I was intrigued by the fact that it was derived from artichokes.