What Is Carmine?

Carmine is a dye that’s found in some food products to create a red color. The food colorant is also called cochineal extract, which comes from the insect species Dactylopius coccus Costa.

These cochineal bugs used to harvest carmine are mainly harvested in Peru and the Canary Islands, where the insects live on prickly pear cacti.

Carmine uses date back to the 1500s, when the Aztecs used these insects to dye fabrics. You may understand the use of insects to make dyes back when resources were limited, but what’s the purpose of carmine food dye today?

The main purpose is to make packaged foods appear more vibrant