[Sca-cooks] dyestuff toxicity?

[Tara Sersen Boroson]

You may eat it frequently without knowing it.  It's a common "natural
color" used in things like fruit juice drinks, and it's rarely listed by
name.  I remember hearing a few years ago that Ocean Spray is personally
responsible for some huge cochineal population depletion problem, but I
don't know what the source of that info was.

-Magdalena

A F Murphy wrote:

> I think a cochineal derivative is used in food, but... they're bugs. I
> admit I sort of don't care if they are toxic, I'm not eating them...
>
> I think bedstraw is used as an herbal medicine, so look in  your
> herbals. I don't remember what for, and I don't have a reference handy.
>
> No idea about the others.
>
> You want reds, I gather?
>
> Anne