Frappuccinos Minus Bugs

The vegan community can rejoice today. Starbucks will no longer use cochineal (koch-i-neel) extract in their Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino® and Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Other products such Raspberry Swirl Cake, Birthday Cake Pop, Mini Doughnut with pink icing, and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie will continue to be produced with the ingredient until June of this year.

The tip-off that lead to an online post (hosted by the website thisdishisvegetarian.com) was given last month by a barista working at a midwest Starbucks. A petition was posted on change.org and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) also joined the fray to show their support. All aforementioned parties later applauded the policy change today on their respective blogs.

Fleeting as some stories are, time will be the final judge on whether this story has any lasting impression on consumers. Approved by the FDA, cochineal has a long and illustrious history. With a positive nod toward social responsibility, Starbucks is one of the few (at least in this case) to fulfill customer demands. Found in many foods, cosmetics and fabrics, cochineal has been linked to causing allergic reactions and accentuating hyperactivity in children sensitive to it. Because of its pervasiveness, it will once again be up to the consumer to scrutinize packages and pressure manufacturers to leave the bugs out.

For those of you who feel squeamish at the possibility of ingesting these critters, check the ingredients label for “carminic acid”, “colored with carmine”, or “cochineal extract”. Any foodstuff that has a viabrant red hue is worth checking out!

Munsell’s Crusade to Instruct the Masses

We often take for granted the past work done by pioneers such as Albert H. Munsell. Painter, teacher, and inventor, Munsell created the most influential color-modeling system for its time. His efforts devised a “rational way to describe color” through the of use clear decimal notation; using hue, value, and chroma into uniform yet independent dimensions within a three-dimensional space. This idea broke with the traditional approach of identifying colors through a naming scheme, which Munsell thought was “foolish” and “misleading”. Munsell Color System, Atlas of Color Charts. The color system Munsell built back in the 1900 ’ s continues to serve educators, visual artists, and the industries who depend on color matching technologies to produce their products and services. The Munsell Color Company website has a historical overview of Munsell’s legacy as well as examples of company projects that continue to advance the process of achieving accurate color. To peer inside the

Colors: What They Mean and How To Make Them

It would appear on first glance at this book’s title, that it is a “how-to” text for the hobbyist or textile artist on dye recipes. Some information is given on where pigments are derived from; how to use sources on where to find and create pigments for dying fabric. The real value of the book is not in the recipes but in the cultural history of the pigment sources and the meanings of color, all packaged in a beautifully designed book. Each thought-out chapter highlights a color and is illustrated with photos and fine art reproductions to reinforce the text. Not book for color theorists–but offers a good general survey of color and it's uses throughout the centuries. Written and (visually) presented to hold the reader's attention with interesting facts without overwhelming. Colors: What They Mean and How to Make Them by Anne Varichon

A Perfect Red

A tour-de-force text that succeeds in weaving an illustrious red path through time. With an impressive mountain of scholarship, Greenfield provides little known facts that take us through the political and colonial upheavals in the West Indies and in Spain. Both locales were central to the intrigue the cultivation, importation and trade of cochineal (insect) red dye. The text also demonstrates how the color red has influenced and been integrated into fashion, culture, and mythology throughout the centuries. A few color plates are included which illustrate the progression of how the color was applied as a pigment while being used as an important compositional symbol. A great book that balances history, science and art found within a non-fiction format. A Perfect Red By Amy Butler Greenfield

All Color Matters

Search This Blog