The US is caught up in the "warrantless wiretapping" debate at the moment. There are other topics in the boiling pot, but this one seems to be on top with a select few, such as the Judge Alito confirmation saga and Democrat senator John Kerry's promise to go for the filibuster that would block Alito. E-bugs, however, are not the only newsworthy insects today.
According to a CNN report, that ubiquitous food info label stating "added colors" is not as innocuous as it reads (I trust CNN to bring me the latest scandals and tripe that no self-respecting news channel would touch with the proverbial ten-foot pole). The red coloring that goes into a variety of everyday products (such as yoghurt, lipstick, ice cream and strawberry milk shake) probably comes from crushed bugs! The barely visible silver lining (at least according to the reporter) seems to be that the pigment and its source are as ancient as the Aztecs who discovered the dye.
The Food and Drug Administration is apprently going to require that such products include the terms "cochineal extract" and "carmine", which would indicate that you are just about to pay good money to smear bug-parts all over your face. Why not call a spade a spade, and label it with something more intuitive, like "may contain hairly insect legs and/or crushed beetles"?
So there goes my appetite for anything strawberry-flavored. Maybe I'll revert to making my own shakes at home now. Thankfully, I don't use any lipstick.
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