# Coca-Cola contains dye made from ants/insects? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717 "2011-08-14T20:32:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/1 "2011-08-14T20:32:12Z")
Is this true? I read it on the internet, so it must be, right? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/2 "2011-08-14T20:35:54Z")
I don’t think they use it in Coca-Cola specifically, but yes, [red dye made from insects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine) is commonly used in many foods and beverages. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/3 "2011-08-14T20:37:42Z")
There is a narural red dye called [carmine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine)that is made from the [cohineal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal)insect. Since the recipe for Coca-Cola is a trade secret, we have no certain way of knowing if it contains natural carmine. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/4 "2011-08-14T20:38:41Z")
[Coke is certified kosher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Kosher_Coca-Cola) though a special formula is used for a Pasover version. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/5 "2011-08-14T20:40:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/6 "2011-08-14T20:59:06Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [Coke is certified kosher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Kosher_Coca-Cola) though a special formula is used for a Pasover version. 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.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitniyot) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/7 "2011-08-14T21:04:57Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [Coke is certified kosher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Kosher_Coca-Cola) though a special formula is used for a Pasover version. Are insects always non-kosher? Didn’t John the Baptist subsist on locusts and honey? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/8 "2011-08-14T21:06:40Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > There is a narural red dye called [carmine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine)that is made from the [cohineal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal)insect. Since the recipe for Coca-Cola is a trade secret, we have no certain way of knowing if it contains natural carmine. 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](http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E9-5286.pdf) Coke uses caramel coloring, which I would guess is cheaper than insects, anyway. [Caramel color - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramel_coloring) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/9 "2011-08-14T21:12:35Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Are insects always non-kosher? Didn’t John the Baptist subsist on locusts and honey? Carob pods were also called locusts and it’s believed that is what JtB was eating. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/10 "2011-08-14T21:49:23Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Are insects always non-kosher? Didn’t John the Baptist subsist on locusts and honey? Don’t know if this will help, but here goes: [IS IT KOSHER?– A Few Words About Insects in Your Food](http://www.kosherquest.org/book.php?id=INSECTS_IN_FOOD.htm) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/11 "2011-08-14T22:36:17Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > 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.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitniyot) 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.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/12 "2011-08-14T22:50:39Z")
[From Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Kosher_Coca-Cola) > [@](#): > > Kosher Coca-Cola produced for Passover is sold in 2-liter bottles with a yellow cap marked with an OU-P, indicating that the Orthodox Jewish Union certifies the soda as Kosher for Passover, or with a white cap with a CRC-P indicating that the certification is provided by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/13 "2011-08-14T22:57:52Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > [From Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Kosher_Coca-Cola) I’ve never seen it. And I’ve looked. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/14 "2011-08-14T22:58:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/15 "2011-08-14T23:11:45Z")
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). > **[Is some candy coated with beetle juice?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341871/is-some-candy-coated-with-beetle-juice)** ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/16 "2011-08-14T23:24:43Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > 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. I’ve _been_ looking in the Kosher Passover department. It’s not there. I _do_ find Kosher-but-HFCS Coke there, even at Passover. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/17 "2011-08-14T23:35:01Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 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](http://www.butcherie.com/)” in Brookline or one the places listed [here](http://www.jewishinboston.com/Category/Boston-Kosher-Services/Boston-Kosher-Supermarkets/). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/18 "2011-08-15T00:01:20Z")
Foods that are kosher for Passover have to say “kosher for Passover” on the individual label. They can’t just say “kosher.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/19 "2011-08-15T00:53:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717/20 "2011-08-15T00:59:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > 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? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-contains-dye-made-from-ants-insects/592717.md?page=2)