Cochineal extract is a widely used natural coloring that gives foods like strawberry milk, sweets, and ham their red color, but it can cause allergic reactions, and there have been reports of adverse reactions abroad. Some countries regulate food labels to include warnings about cochineal-derived colors, and Korea also needs to actively provide information and respond to consumer safety.

Cochineal, a natural red colorant

Would people prefer pink or white strawberry milk in a clear cup? Most will choose the pinkish cup. Visuals like this are appetizing and play an important role in how people make food choices. After all, we unconsciously consume colors with our food every day.
The colors used in food can be divided into two main categories: natural and synthetic. Natural colors are those produced by plants, animals, or microorganisms, while synthetic colors are those that are man-made to produce specific colors. Synthetic colors have been widely used because they are deep, stable, and inexpensive, but their use has been increasingly regulated as their dangers have been discovered. At the same time, consumers are increasingly concerned about health and food safety, and there is a clear trend toward natural colors derived from natural sources instead of chemically produced synthetic colors.
Like the pink strawberry milk example above, most commercially available strawberry milk products use natural colors to achieve their red color, rather than synthetic colors. The most common red natural color is cochineal extract. Cochineal is used in strawberry milk, strawberry-flavored sweets and candies, tomato ketchup, crab meat, ham, and many other foods.

Cochineal derived from soft worms

So where does cochineal extract come from? Cochineal comes from an insect called the soft worm. It’s an insect that parasitizes various cacti, including the cochineal cactus in Mexico and Peru, and its female fat cells are rich in a red substance. Cochineal extract pigment is a concentrate made by collecting these female soft worms, drying them, and extracting them with a water-alcohol solution. The dried worms are exported all over the world from Central America and are relatively inexpensive because they are easy to collect. In Korea, it has been allowed for food use since 1993, and imported dried soft worms are processed to produce cochineal extract pigment.

Side effects of cochineal extract

Is cochineal extract safe for humans because it’s a natural color? No, it’s not. Cochineal extract has been known to cause allergic reactions, which can lead to asthma, acute enteritis, rashes, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. Two things are thought to cause these side effects. First, certain protein components of female soft-shelled worms are extracted during the cochineal extraction process, which may cause allergic reactions in some people. Second, chemicals used to preserve quality, such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, and diluents, may cause problems.
This side effect has been reported in several cases and studies. For example, a Massachusetts hospital in the United States reported an outbreak of acute enteritis caused by cochineal-derived pigments, a Canadian child developed a skin rash after consuming yogurt containing cochineal-derived pigments, and a Japanese woman suffered allergies and shock after drinking strawberry juice. Based on these cases and studies, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated cochineal as a “probable allergen” in 2009.

What can be done about the side effects of cochineal extract?

In Korea, there is a lack of governmental awareness, regulation, and information on the adverse effects of cochineal extracted colors. There is no labeling on food products to warn of adverse effects, insufficient inspection and regulation, and unclear liability in the event of adverse effects.
In the U.S., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed legislation to require labeling of cochineal-derived colors based on research on their harmful effects. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is taking steps to collect and analyze cases of adverse reactions to cochineal extract to ensure consumer safety.
It is necessary to specify the dangers of cochineal-derived colors on food labels, and to require labeling with separate warnings about allergic reactions and other adverse effects. There should also be a system in place to quickly report and respond to adverse events.
In addition to government action, consumers need to be aware of the adverse effects of cochineal-derived colors and avoid them. Consumers should be aware that most products that require red contain this coloring, such as strawberry milk, strawberry-flavored sweets, candy, tomato ketchup, crabmeat, and ham, and choose products that use vegetable pigments, such as tomato, or no coloring at all. Cooking at home with plant-based ingredients such as strawberries and tomatoes is also a safe alternative.