Do you know what you are eating or putting on your lips?
The FDA will be changing their labeling rules to require products that contain bug juices (used as colorants in foods and makeups) to list an insect based ingredient as insect based rather than the real name (or in addition to), so consumers will know that the product contains insect based juices. This will allow them to decide whether they object to that or not and purchase or not purchase the product.
I have not clarified the halacha on this, but I remember from my youth that the issue had arisen then as well. I had relatives who were students of Rav Aharon Soloveitchik who would not eat sprinkles and other candies of sorts (I think jelly beans as well) because their coating contained these bug juices. I also remember that most people did eat them and it was only some people who were being machmir.
It looks like the issue is more widespread than a few select candies.
I wouold not go so far as saying thise bugs are delicious - almost nobody eats them anymore for the reason that they are disgusting. A sephardic Jew (who remembers as a kid in Tunis having eaten such bugs) told me that they used to eat them because they were poor and the bugs were available (and kosher) - not because it was considered a delicacy.
ReplyDeleteso bugs are yucky but animal flesh is yummy... wait,except for some bugs which are kosher, those are the yummy bugs but the other bugs are no good.
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