Cochineal or 120 is the red food colouring you can buy in the supermarkets or is found in certain products which are coloured pink to red. 120 or Cochineal is correctly marketed as a natural colour as it is derived from drying and crushing the female Cochineal beetle. As natural as this colour is, natural is not always a good thing, and there are increasing reports of allergic reactions to this food additive. Unlike many of the other additives which can produce behavioural reactions, reactions to Cochineal are usually of the allergic type, causing skin rashes, asthma or rhinitis. There has also been some concern of toxicity to the embryo in some studies. This colour is banned in foods for infants and young children however appears in many products marketed towards children. So keep an eye out on foods labelled as containing only natural colours, flavours and preservatives as this is a common one. We ensure none of our products contain this natural colour or 160b, as both of these we consider to be a hidden nasty
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 22:14:00 +0000