Color additive ruling: cochineal extract and carmine must be labeled

Thanks to Ricardo Carvajal of FDA Law Blog for this one:

FDA has issued a final rule that requires declaration of the color additives cochineal extract and carmine in the ingredient statement on the label of all food and cosmetic products that contain those additives.  FDA has made no changes to the proposed rule that it published in January 2006.  The final rule is effective on January 5, 2011, but FDA states that it “will not object to voluntary compliance immediately upon publication of the final rule.”

So I had to know -- what is cochineal extract?  Not surprisingly it comes from something called a cochineal, which is an insect.  From Wikipedia:

This type of insect, a primarily sessile parasite, lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on moisture and nutrients in the cacti. The insect produces carminic acid which deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs to make the dye. Cochineal is primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics.

More: cochineal is used as a biological agent to control prickly pear cactus in Australia.  See North West Weeds for more information.