Cochineal — a red dye from crushed scale insects — is used in food, cosmetics, and textiles, raising questions about insect welfare under uncertainty.
Cochineal welfare sits at the low-sentience end of the insect welfare spectrum. Scale insects have very simple nervous systems — far simpler than flying insects like bees or beetles. The evidence for any form of conscious experience is weak. Yet the killing of billions of individuals annually in an industry that has synthetic alternatives raises a principled question about unnecessary use of living things. Those who extend precautionary consideration to all insects may choose to avoid cochineal; those who apply welfare consideration proportional to sentience evidence will not prioritise it over more clearly sentient animals. Synthetic alternatives exist for those who wish to avoid cochineal regardless of their position on insect sentience.