Non Vegan Mineral Colors

The colors in this category contain carmine, which is a non vegan ingredient.
Carmine is a crimson pigment derived from the Mexican and Central American species of beetle, which feeds on cacti. (The coloring has no known toxicity and was permanently listed for use in food by the FDA in 1977.) The brilliant red color only exists if the beetles die a natural death and this they do by the hundreds of thousands once they have mated. They are then vacuumed off the cacti and sent for extraction. Vegans and those practicing Kosher will want to avoid this.