Are smarties bugged?
Apparently yes. Vegetarians in Britain criticised the makers of top-selling sweet Smarties today for using an ingredient obtained from crushed beetles. The brightly-coloured snack contains a red dye processed from the dried body of the female cochineal insect, collected in central America. It produces the colourant cochineal, otherwise known as carmine or E120 – found in the kitchens of many Australian homes. The Vegetarian Society named Smarties, made by food giant Nestle, the winner of its Imperfect World Award at a ceremony in London. Two other products were nominated in the category, for food and drink that appear to be suitable for vegetarians until closer inspection. Guinness uses isinglass, a form of gelatine made from fish bladders, in the production process to make the stout clearer.
