Fluoride Fightin’ Tuesdays in Raleigh, NC

United States
In January 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration evaluated a proposal that would require food products containing carmine to list it by name on the ingredient label.[7] It was also announced that the FDA will separately review the ingredient labels of prescription drugs that contain colorings derived from carmine. A request from the Center for Science in the Public Interest urged that the FDA should require ingredient labels to explicitly state that carmine may cause severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock and that it is derived from insects was declined by the FDA.[8][9] Food industries were aggressively opposed to the idea of writing "insect-based" on the label, and the FDA agreed to allow "cochineal extract" or "carmine."[10]
Although concerns over hazards from allergic reactions have been asserted,[11] the FDA has not banned the use of carmine and states it found no evidence of a "significant hazard" to the general population.[12] As with many chemical compounds, the dye may still pose an allergen hazard to a subset of the population.

The red coloring is achieved by using crushed, boiled red insects.

Food use
In the United States, castoreum as a food additive is considered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be generally recognized as safe,[11] often referenced simply as a "natural flavoring" in products' lists of ingredients. While it can be used in both foods and beverages as a raspberry and strawberry flavoring,[12] and vanilla,[13] the annual industry consumption is around 300 pounds.