Minute Maid Products

Special thanks to my brother for sending in this response from Minute Maid. It is interesting that they do use algae as their source for Omega 3 DHA in their Enhanced Juice Pomegranate Blueberry Flavored 100% Juice Blend. I also was unaware that they use fish gelatin to clarify grape juice.

Cochineal is the insect they use for color. According to Wikipedia, "there are two principal forms of cochineal dye: cochineal extract is a colouring made from the raw dried and pulverised bodies of insects, and carmine is a more purified colouring made from the cochineal. To prepare carmine, the powdered insect bodies are boiled in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution, the insoluble matter is removed by filtering, and alum is added to the clear salt solution of carminic acid to precipitate the red aluminium salt."

Here is the response from the Minute Maid (owned by Coca-Cola) Industry and Consumer Affairs department:

"Except the products that contain cochineal (which is listed on the label) and the products that contain milk (which is also indicated on the label), brands of The Coca-Cola Company in the United States do not contain any ingredient derived from animals.

However, some of our juice products contain Vitamin D3, which is derived from lanolin. Lanolin is a natural oil in the fiber of sheep's wool. It is separated from the wool after the sheep's hair is cut (sheared). Lanolin oil is obtainable without harming the sheep but may be an issue for strict vegetarians.

Additionally, some of our suppliers use a common industry practice for grape juice clarification that does involve animal by-products. This practice is becoming increasingly less common as ultra-filtration systems are gradually replacing the gelatin used in this process. However, you may be interested to know that because our juices are certified kosher, the gelatin used to clarify the juice is made from fish.

In the U.S., the only Coca-Cola brand products that are currently produced with cochineal are Minute Maid Juices To Go Ruby Red Grapefruit Drink, Jugos Del Valle Strawberry Banana Juice Nectar, and Jugos Del Valle Strawberry Juice Nectar.

The only currently manufactured Coca-Cola brand products that contain milk are Far Coast (World of Coca-Cola only), Caribou Iced Coffee, FUZE Refresh, and Minute Maid Fruit and Creme Swirls.

The form of omega-3 DHA in Minute Maid Enhanced Juice Pomegranate Blueberry Flavored 100% Juice Blend is derived from a vegetarian source (algae). This is the only beverage produced by The Coca-Company in the U.S. that contains omega-3 DHA."

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