Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


What is the purple ink used to stamp meat usually made from?

Question #45174. Asked by EbonyUK.
Last updated Jun 09 2021.

Ocelot's_purr
Answer has 0 votes
Ocelot's_purr
20 year member
19 replies

Answer has 0 votes.
Grape skins.

Mar 12 2004, 11:52 AM
fosse4
Answer has 0 votes
fosse4

Answer has 0 votes.
Its a synthetic called C2 - Methyl Violet.

Mar 12 2004, 11:53 AM
Ocelot's_purr
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
Ocelot's_purr
20 year member
19 replies

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Hmmm... Depending on the country, it's either C2 Methyl Violet OR grape skins OR a secret USDA-approved formula!
The simple, traditional answer to this trivia question is that they make it from grape skins. For example, see link http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/v-triv.html
But I just looked it up on the internet, and in Europe they do use the synthetic C2 dye. In the USA, it's a bit more of a mystery, though; the official government answer is that it "is made from a food-grade vegetable dye. The exact formula is proprietary/owned by the maker of the dye" according to the USDA.

link https://www.clovermeadowsbeef.com/meat-inspection/

So I guess the answer partly depends on which country the meat was stamped in. :)

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 09 2021.
Mar 12 2004, 1:09 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion