Food additive may cause allergic reactions

Carmine dye, a common food additive derived from insects, can cause severe allergic reactions ranging from hives to asthma to shock, says one University allergist.

The dye produces various shades of red, purple, orange and yellow and is commonly found in "candy, juice drinks, yogurt, liquors, popsicles, ice cream" and more, said allergist and Medical School Prof. James Baldwin.

The Food and Drug Administration does not require carmine dye to be listed as an ingredient on food packaging. "According to FDA regulations, colors that are not synthetic don't need to be listed," Baldwin said. Instead, the dye is one of many "natural additives" that are not specified because they are not man-made.

Although the allergy is not prevalent, the severity of reactions can be life threatening.

"We're not suggesting carmine dye is harmful for most people," Baldwin said. "But because of reactions, we believe it should be listed (with the ingredients). I think it really needs to be on labels."

Carmine dye, also known as cochineal extract, is made from insects called cochineal bugs. "These bugs have been used for centuries. Just before maturity they are brushed off and processed into dye and sold from plantations around the world," Baldwin said.

No one is certain why the dye is causing these reactions, but "we think the bug has a different kind of protein," said Alice Chou, a former University allergist currently employed at the Allergy and Asthma Center in Eugene, Ore.

Baldwin first became aware of the allergy about 18 months ago when he treated a woman with "life threatening shock, hives and asthma," he said.

"This lady had some hives and swelling after she ate a popsicle ... this popsicle was a red color," Chou said.

The popsicle was evaluated with a skin test, which screens the blood for allergic antibodies. Baldwin confirmed that the carmine dye was causing the woman's allergy.

Now that it is confirmed that the dye can cause these reactions, "there are a number of things we're trying to figure out," Baldwin said. He said he hopes to find the component of the dye that causes allergic reactions. "It's going to be slow until we have a fair number of people allergic to it," Baldwin said.

"So far we have seen three people from Michigan" who exhibited the allergy to carmine dye, Chou said. There have been only five known cases of this allergic reaction nationwide.

Chou said she wants both allergists and their patients to "be aware that carmine can cause problems."

"This is something that can cause severe allergic reactions," Baldwin said. "How common it is, I do not know."

11-10-97