Also beware of the many supplements labeled as containing "natural ingredients." Taken to the extreme, and such labeling often is, just about any substance can be termed a "natural" ingredient, or termed as being derived from a natural substance. Remember that nature has many toxic substances that exist in nature, side by side with its many nutritious substances. Given the imprecision with which this term is currently used, mercury and lead could be
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considered natural ingredients in certain contexts. To make matters worse, if an ingredient can be classified as "natural" within certain parameters, it doesn't even have to be listed among the contents on the label.
The Food and Drug Administration actually has an insect that is approved for consumption. The cochineal insect, harvested in Peru and the Canary Islands, brings the bright red color to many of the foods and drinks commercially sold. Containing carmine, to which some people can have life-threatening allergic reactions, such products are rarely ever listed on the label. Carmine is considered a "natural" color, so a company is not required to list it on the label.
Labels can also be misleading when they list subproducts. Many foods contain products that contain other substances that are not listed separately. A label for commercial spaghetti sauce might not list sugar or one of its many synonyms on the label, but it might list tomato paste—and tomato paste contains sugar.
All of this means that a commercial product that doesn't list sugar, or carmine, or something else you want to avoid could still contain significant amounts of that substance. Buyer beware. Or perhaps more accurately: Buyer, be aware!
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