My coworker suggested going to an educational round last week for lunch. An excellent idea, not only because of the educational and entertainment value but for the delicious complimentary meal.

I grabbed a wrap, some fruit, and a Strawberry Passion Awareness Fruitopia. Which was discontinued in the U.S. and changed to Minute Maid but has been going strong in Canada for years.

I downed the beverage in an epic chug to celebrate getting it for free. Only later would I realize my fatal mistake.

Based on an A.D.D. based distraction from work I decided to check the ingredients list and investigate the things I hadn't heard of. Cochineal Extract was the first to check. It was responsible for the attractive pink/red  juice coloring which attracted me to the drink in the first place.

Well, to my surprise, the coloring is made from boiled bugs!

A deep crimson dye is extracted from the female cochineal insects. Cochineal is used to produce scarlet, orange and other red tints. The colouring comes from carminic acid. Cochineal extract's natural carminic-acid content is usually 19–22%.^[5] The insects are killed by immersion in hot water (after which they are dried) or by exposure to sunlight, steam, or the heat of an oven. Each method produces a different colour which results in the varied appearance of commercial cochineal. The insects must be dried to about 30 percent of their original body weight before they can be stored without decaying.^[10] It takes about 155,000 insects to make one kilogram of cochineal.

I'm sure we eat bugs all the time without knowing it but it's still a crazy place to get some dye! I should be thankful it wasn't FD&C Red 40 or something.