Smarties Easter Eggs contain BUGS

[Boden13]

Dear all,

am I the last person on this planet to realise that the packets of SMARTIES MINI EGGS that we have just consumed over Easter contain the colorant cochineal, otherwise known as carmine or E120??

It is made from the dried body of the female cochineal insect.

What do you think of this? Is it ok for NESTLE to make our children eat dead bugs? Or should I just accept that "free of artificial colours" means I have to eat bugs, full stop?

Confused,
W.

Meh. One corporation is as bad as any other in my book. You either avoid altogether or shut up about it. You can't be precious about Nestle if you do stuff like shop in supermarkets/don't knit your own dresses from twigs.

Dammit. buggage

Nestle are bastards

They use it. I'm looking at a cake with some in.

It's the no artificial colours or flavorings drive.

I rather like buggae, it's latinate innit

We are vegetarian, and dont eat smarties, but, one of my kids were given a smarties egg for easter, its still sat on the table so have checked ingredients and can see no mention of cochineal, is it still used? if not I wont give their smarties away

Rereads ingredients list nope, still cant see it?

"They don't care if your kids are eating bugs!!!"

I don't care if my kid are eating bugs so why should Nestle?

As far as I'm aware they do still contain them. Does the ingredients list mention Cochineal,carmine,carminic acid or E120?

Contain it not them.

Lanismum, are you vegetarian or vegan?

I am vegetarian as are my kids, tahts why we dont eat smarties, or gelatine, animal rennet..animal fats, but am reading the list and its def not on there...

It's been a few months since I last had them though so it's certainly possible that they've changed the source from animal to vegetable.

I wont give them to them either way as they have eaten their body weight in chocolate but just wondering now...

What are the list of ingredients now?

So what's the difference between you and vegans, Lanismum? Not being flippant, just genuinely wondering. Do you not wear wool
/leather either?

DS has a smarties easter egg (was bought by someone else!)

I've just looked at the ingredients and there are " no artificial colours of flavours"

They seem to be using red cabbage now?!

Smarties ingredients

sugar, cocoa mass, whey powder, wheat flour, butterfat, skimmed milk powder, cocoa butter, wheat starch, fruit and vegetable concentrates (safflower, radish, black carrot, hibiscus, red cabbage, lemon) colour(titanium dioxide) spirulina concentrate, emulsifiers to hold the ingredients together (soya lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate) natural orange oil, modified maize starch, glazing agents (carnauba wax from plants, beeswax, invert sugar syrup.

Maybe its a new thing as they def used to contain bugs, like I said that why we dont eat them?

According to their website they use things like red cabbage now. Not suitable for vegans though as coated in beeswax.

'Is it ok for NESTLE to make our children eat dead bugs'

Images of kids being force fed dead beetles vs buying a tube of smarties out of choice.

What I'm most concerned about is the fact that there is several different names for it, as there is for alot of ingredients. You need some sort of ingredients dictionary to properly understand whats actually in your food. I find it quite misleading actually.

Well for me personally, I dont eat meat or fish, dont eat animal fats, gelatine, ect, thats it. def not vegan, I would prob die without cheese, and I wouldnt wear plastic shoes for anyone

Thanks for clarifying, Lanismum.

Thats true battykoda, any veggies reading should find out if any of the ingredients are indeed bugs in disguise before shovelling a tube of smarties down their neck....

The orange ones are the best anyway....