The U.S. Food and Drug Administration website is one disturbing place to visit. I found a listing of color additives exempt from certification, which means they do not have to be listed on a product’s ingredients.
My favorites in the list are in the food section. I was pleased to see that synthetic iron oxide (that’s hematite, magnetite, or various other forms) can be added to food, as long as it doesn’t contain too much arsenic, lead, or mercury.
Manufacturers are also free to pack in as much cochineal extract as they can. That turns out to be a chemical made from pregnant dried up bugs. Yummers!
Me, I’m sticking to old dried out mixtures of milk, bacteria, mold, and stomach lining (aka cheese).