Is this true? I read it on the internet, so it must be, right?
I don’t think they use it in Coca-Cola specifically, but yes, red dye made from insects is commonly used in many foods and beverages.
There is a narural red dye called carminethat is made from the cohinealinsect. Since the recipe for Coca-Cola is a trade secret, we have no certain way of knowing if it contains natural carmine.
Coke is certified kosher though a special formula is used for a Pasover version.
Coca-Cola does not. The (known) ingredients:
Carbonated water
Sugar (sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup depending on country of origin)
Caffeine
Phosphoric acid
Caramel color (E150d)
Natural flavorings
Lots of other things do. Anything with “carmine” or “cochineal” has dye derived from insects. However, if they have this as an ingredient by law it must be listed by name on the label.
My understanding of the kosher-for-passover Coca-Cola is that it uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Corn syrup is a grain derivative and so is forbidden (depending on the tradition) as kitniyot.
Are insects always non-kosher? Didn’t John the Baptist subsist on locusts and honey?
The FDA mandates that any food or product which contains carmine must list carmine or cochineal extract on its ingredients list. If it Coke used carmine, it would have to say so. cite
Coke uses caramel coloring, which I would guess is cheaper than insects, anyway. Caramel color - Wikipedia
Carob pods were also called locusts and it’s believed that is what JtB was eating.
Don’t know if this will help, but here goes: IS IT KOSHER?–
A Few Words About Insects in Your Food
There’s something wrong with this. I’d heard it, too. But when I check the Coca Cola during Passover or any other Jewish holiday it says both that it’s kosher and that it contains high-fructose corn syrup. I’ve never been able to find Coke with sugar at any time of year in my supermarket . (Although, oddly, I’ve found Coke with sugar at a foods boutique. And it’s not even promoted as non-HFCS Coke)
As for the coloring, it’s already been covered. And both William Poundstone’s Big Secrets and Pendergrast’s For God, Country, and Coca Cola agree that it’s onlu caramel coloring. (And Pendergrast claims to have seen the recipe.)
I’ve never seen it. And I’ve looked.
You’re looking in the wrong place. All American-made Coca Cola is certified kosher year-round and is made with HFCS. For Passover, they make several batches of Coke with sugar, but most Coke is still made with HFCS. You have to go to a Jewish store or a store with a big kosher department to find the stuff with the sugar.
No need to worry about bugs (purposefully) in your Coke, but you might be squicked by Junior Mints (secretions from the lac insect used for the glaze) and many fruit cocktails (the above mentioned carmine that is derived from the dried bodies of the cochineal insect).
I’ve been looking in the Kosher Passover department. It’s not there. I do find Kosher-but-HFCS Coke there, even at Passover.
Well, if you were in the Chicago area, I’d tell you where you can find it. I’d advise going to an actual kosher grocery store, as opposed to a large supermarket with a kosher department. Something like “The Butcherie” in Brookline or one the places listed here.
Foods that are kosher for Passover have to say “kosher for Passover” on the individual label. They can’t just say “kosher.”
Irrelevant – I’m not looking for “Kosher for Passover” – I’m looking for sugar-containing Coke, and I’m not finding it,even at Passover, even in the Kosher section.
Are there any Mexican markets in your area?