如果成分表上写着胭脂红、胭脂虫提取物或天然红4，那就是一种昆虫。一种在仙人掌上养殖的介虫，主要产自秘鲁，晒干后碾碎。要制成一磅染料，需要大约7万只这样的昆虫。它出现在草莓酸奶、粉色糖果、果汁、一些奶酪酱里，以及大多数红色唇膏中。

直到2011年，标签上不必写太多。胭脂红可以被列为“人工色素”或只是“添加色素”。FDA在接到包括过敏性休克在内的严重过敏反应报告后进行了修改，现在必须印上名称。我觉得有趣的部分是FDA省略了什么。申请要求标签还需说明这种颜色来自昆虫。乳制品行业反对，认为没有必要，FDA同意了。所以规定是，必须出现“胭脂红”这个词，但不必告诉你胭脂红是什么。

If an ingredient list says carmine, cochineal extract, or Natural Red 4, that's an insect. A scale insect farmed on cactus, mostly in Peru, dried and crushed. It takes around 70,000 of them to make a pound of dye. It's in strawberry yogurt, pink candy, juice, some cheese spreads, and most red lipstick.

Until 2011 the label didn't have to say much. Carmine could be listed as artificial color or just color added. FDA changed it after reports of severe allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, and now the name has to be printed. The part I find interesting is what FDA left out. The petition asked that labels also state the color comes from insects. The dairy industry objected, saying there was no need, and FDA agreed. So the rule is that the word carmine has to appear, and nothing has to tell you what carmine is.