Mom horrified after finding “disgusting” ingredient in kids’ Easter biscuits

A mom was left disgusted after finding a disturbing ingredient in her children’s mini Easter chocolate biscuits.

Australian content creator Katrina (rawglowau) took to TikTok to share the stomach-churning ingredient she discovered in her children’s Easter treats.

The mom initially thought she’d found a safe option for her kids, as she glanced at the ingredients list for their chocolate biscuits. However, she then noticed a mysterious word in the list, “Cochineal,” and decided to look it up on Google. What she uncovered left her horrified.

“Are you kidding me?” Katrina said, after learning that Cochineal is a scaled insect, dried and crushed to produce a natural dye for food and textiles. “Have you heard of it? Seriously, I am disgusted,” she added.

“I don’t know why this has to be in a biscuit. To me, that is just like, toxic. None of us will be eating these again and don’t let your family eat these either.”

TikTok divided over “disgusting” ingredient

Katrina’s video went viral with over 321,000 views, with some TikTok users in the comments agreeing that they don’t want Cochineal in their food.

“OMG I just googled what products have cochineal in it, and there are heaps of products I consumed already that has this!!! I want to cry,” one user wrote. “Just because it’s been used for centuries doesn’t make it okay to be eating BUGS,” another said.

However, most users pointed out that it’s totally harmless. “Cochineal is just another animal byproduct. If your kids eat the meat of animals, you’ll be fine with cochineal,” one person commented.

“I don’t see how it’s toxic? It’s a natural food dye, no? I’d prefer cochineal over red 40. Plenty of cultures eat bugs,” another wrote. “Cochineal is 100% safe for consumption and is a natural/safe alternative to man-made dye options like red 40,” a third shared.