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Dried, crushed cochineal beetles add the red tint to Starbucks' strawberry and cream cappucino. The Food and Drug Administration says they're safe to consume, but vegetarians are awfully bugged out by the revelation. Previously - Health department bugs out over grasshopper tacos and I scream, you scream, we all scream when there are cicadas in the ice cream |
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I'll stick with my Newmans Own for 99cents from McDonalds any day, thanks. I also didn't realize being vegetarian included not eating bugs....must have skipped that chapter
They never claimed the item was vegetarian or vegan, folks.
Seems better to me than some petroleum based coloring additive. Seems much ado about nothing.
Of course, there's always the question, why do we colorize our foods to begin with? Apparently, we're used to it now, and have come to expect it.
Why do we color? Because some fat cat with an MBA, a PhD in marketing and no contact with the outside world decided the "common man" would buy more of product "X" if it was a more vibrant color.
And that would be a great sarcastic point...if it wasn't true. Color sells. Come on man
They color because they conduct extensive market research with the consumer that indicates the consumers would buy more if it were colored. We buy with our eyes.
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If you do not take the time to inform yourself about where your food is coming from and what it contains then you deserve whatever upsetting revelations may come your way. Being a responsible consumer can take a little bit of time, but believe me, it is time well spent. Assumptions get you nowhere. Never have.
Crushed cochineal beetles have been used to color things red for decades. Women, if you're wearing red lipstick, or red blusher, guess what? It comes from the cochineal beetle. BTW only female cochineal beetles are used to make red coloring. You like that extra red looking meat in the meat department, it's colored with dye from the cochineal beetle. After a few hours meat turns brown because that's what happens with blood. And it's the blood that gives it it's red color, until they dye it to make certain it stays red.
Vegetarians, you've been eating meat for years. Ever had fries at a fast food restaurant, particularly McDonalds or Burger King. They add beef flavoring to give it that extra flavor ingredient.
Lots of things vegetarians eat and buy in grocery stores have meat-based flavorings. It is extremely hard to be a vegetarian in today's world.
It's been know for a long time that there is only one way to "know" your food sources, grow it yourself.
It's not even difficult, but tending crops does cut into a busy socialite's schedule.
Is there anything more embarrassing than civilization's acceptance of artificial food colorings? Are we really all such idiots that we would refuse to drink a brown strawberry cappuccino? Whether it's made of bugs or not, it's both incredibly hilarious and appalling when you consider just how many food items are produced with artificial colors for absolutely no other reason than to adhere to our almost religious devotion to certain foods/flavors and their neon colors.
Being a veggie has nothing to do with religion unless you are hindu. Many Christians, Jews, Buddhists are veggies too.
I think you completely misread his statement.
This is a hoot! Vegans have been imagining that the Starbucks coffee drink was vegan because it was made with Soy, even though Starbucks never said it was vegan, or even vegetarian. That's what you get for making assumptions – bugs in your drink. Bwaaahahahahahaha
Eat Klingon, it's the only way to go. Live eels are best prepared and served the Klingon way!
Meat is plants – second-hand.
Ok this is stupid. This food coloring is used in just about ANYTHING that is red out there.. For Starbucks to be singled out is just plain madness. If Vegans have an issue with this they better start eating everything home grown because this food coloring is allowed in "organic" products as well.
Unfortunately, you are correct.
Here's some other interesting info. of what can be in food:
http://www.kipnews.org/.../10-examples-of-bugs-in-supposedly-vegan-foo...
Once I did a report on prevalence of entomophagy (bug eating) and learned there are bug parts in more than just food dyes. Thus, I really didn't believe you could ever be a true vegetarian/vegan. Honey has bee parts, nut butters and fresh veggies always will have trace amounts of insect material/deposits, the list goes on... The FDA allows a trace amount in lots of foods. Our ancestors ate more of them and survived, so I don't really see the bug fuss. No one complains about the yeast bacteria or yogurt organisms either. If one day we learn plants have feelings (new study says grasscut smell is a distress call), would we be up in arms against vegetarians/vegans being cruel? Although I do have to say the bottom line is we should only eat as much as we need considering the famines in other parts of the world.
That's just plain wrong. That would be like Manischewitz admitting to using pork in some products because it "just has that flavor."
Did Starbucks claim the drink was Kosher or Vegan? No. They state that it is among their caffeine-free beverage offerings only. If it's important that you have dietary guarantees in what you consume, do your homework and don't blame the company because you didn't ask the right questions.
The odd thing about this use of insects for creating red dye, as well as shellac which is also from insects, is that in the past 10 years – anything with red dye gives me heartburn. I only found out this year about shellac being used as a red food dye. Apparently my body gets really irked about it. Drinks are where it's the worse. For a while I thought it was corn syrup or citric acid but when it happened with koolaid (w/sugar), I was back to square one. The only link between all the products was red food dye.
Just because it's natural doesn't make it better. Mercury and lead are natural, too. Officially where do vegetarians and vegans draw the line. Insects are not animals. So if any living thing is off limits, I guess they're against anti-biotics. Bacteria are living things, too...
Insects are indeed animals. What school did you go to?
The amount of beetle biological material that you would eat, even if you were a big fan of these products, is less than the amount of spider biological material you eat as a result of them crawling into your mouth during sleep.
Get over it.
That's funny! They use them in all kinds of food dyes and have for hundreds of years. Probably better than artificial. But not better than real strawberries. :(
Wow – this gives new meaning to the word "Beetlejuice" and I don't mean the movie. Someone please tell me what being a vegan has to do with this issue! The subject matter strictly points out an ingredient's source, no matter how gross it is. Again and nonetheless the ingredient's source has nothing to do with being a vegetarian. How did this issue get so twisted? I guess that I would rather have this type of source, then some man-made chemical that would not be natural for us to consume. This is not an episode of "Survivor," just an unknown fact that was disclosed to the public. Chill out people, the world we live in is stressful enough as it is and this factoid doesn't even make it to the scale of a real "problem." Really – if you were sick would you not take penicillin because of it's source? There, case closed.
It sounds like this isn't a vegan or vegetarian issue at all, but rather a consumer issue. I don't believe bugs are considered a meat product and it sounds like the real outrage is that of people who want to know what it is they are consuming. If people are truly worried about what they are consuming then make the extra effort and do your research. Also remember, that several standards for fruit and vegetable, and grain packing are downright disgusting, but deemed "acceptable" to the USDA, such as maggots in mushrooms, animal and insect feces in spices and cocoa, bug parts in about everything, and "foreign matter" which can include, get this, cigarette butts. So let's not make this a vegan/vegetarian issue; whether it's to attack these people or for these people to try and make the "no meat lifestyle" appear to be wholesome and clean. People are too sensitive to everything nowadays and are ready to be up in arms at the slightest inclination of something "odd". Do your research, allow others to live their lifestyle without judgement and let's all try not to be so darn obnoxious.
Like others have pointed out these beetles have been used for hundreds of years as coloring for red velvet cake, and hundreds of more foods. If you have a dietary constraint that is self imposed or worse yet is life threatening like a peanut allergy then it is your responsibility to know what is going into your food. Did they say that there were bugs in it? No. Did they say there were NOT bugs in it no again.
And to the person saying that the FDA doesnt have the best track record of safety for the public, try going to a country that doesnt have an FDA equivilent. Its like playing russian roulette with food and medicine and no one to blame if you get a bad medicine becasue there is no approval process.
The Food and Drug Administration doesn't have the best track record of putting the public's safety first. For example, they see no reason that labeling should show "pink slime" in meat products. They are clearly influenced by the food industry lobbyists. Anyway, I'm using this to cook more myself!! Found a great vegetarian cookbook: Sacred Food for Soulful Living by Ward Bauman. Great stuff. Food is always better at home! http://www.bookinitnow.com/product/sacred-food-soulful-living
Pink slime is just very finley ground (read puree'd )meat. Ground to the point that it is like pudding. Just becasue someone named it something nasty sounding doesnt change it. Its just meat in a diferent format mixed with other meat. People will get mad at this and still eat head cheese or scrapple or even hotdogs. The Beetles have been used a lot longer than pink s;lime and the cake still taastes just as good and it is no better or worse for you just because you know about it.
i don't recall starbucks ever making a claim as to serving vegan drinks? no, you won't suspect them to have bugs in their strawberry frap, but if you don't ask if it's vegan than you can't know for sure. if you don't want to accidently consume something, ask first, don't just assume. it's your diet, do your research.
Sorry Salley, Let's be real! I am a vegan and most of the time these establishments do not know what the ingrediants that are in the drinks or food you are buying. I am sure that prior to this whole thing coming out they did not know that the red tint to Starbucks' strawberry and cream cappucino was crushed cochineal beetles. It is not that simple.
I agree, Terry, let's do be real . . your typical SB employee doesn't have in-depth knowledge of the every ingredient in their beverages because only the fringe element (or those with odd allergies) would actually care. I can't spend my limited supply of outrage over something so trivial.
The idea that a dye in my drink or food comes from an insect sounds gross at first, but I don't have any rational, logical reason to object. If it simply comes down to "Well, I'm vegan and won't consume any amount of any animal product, end of story," then I guess you best avoid SB. If I'm an SB exec I'm not too vexed over .01 percent of my customer base revolting if using bug coloring is cheaply improving my product.
In the real world, life is full of surprises. If it doesn't say vegan on the menu, it probably isn't.
Get over it already folks! You'll eat worse than that before you die. Besides, if you are eating 'organic produce' trust me when i say you have eaten the occasional bug. It ain't gonna kill ya! Is it the killing of the bugs that concerns you? Heck we have far worse things in this world to be up in arms about. I suggest you quit paying $5 for a cup of coffee and make your own. Then you will know what goes into it. If you go get any food out somewhere, you will never know for sure what made it into your meal, and oftentimes neither will the person who prepared it. So go get some real problems.
Gosh, it's just the topic of the conversation. Nothing to be freaked out about.
The same vegetarians probably would have no problem drinking a big cup of kopi luwak coffee. Nummynummy, monkey-cat turds!
If you need attention go to a comedy club with your jokes, your rude comments are not adding to the conversation at all.
So says someone with such an intelligent name. Vegetarians and vegans will always find something to complain about, while happily using a plethora of products containing animal products.
Dude! Do you hate vegetarians too?? I can;t stand people who don;t have a fat ass like me from scarfing back Mcdonald's! Losers!
Mainly vegans. I went vegetarian for a month just to see if I could do it. Missed a good steak too much.
I also hate them because they don't love Jesus enough and drive a Dodge Ram.
Not at almost $400/lb .... that might upset them. :P
I am shocked at how many people are attacking vegans (I am not a vegan) for being upset that Starbucks has been putting meat/bug juice in their products. I had no idea Starbucks or Tropicana put bugs in their drinks until I saw it on the news. Never in a million years would I have thought there might be fish in my beer, until someone made me aware of the clarifying process. 100% Fruit juice should contain only fruit, not food coloring made out of bugs. If it contains a food coloring not made from fruit they should not be allowed to make you believe you are buying pure fruit juice or a fruit juice blend. Seriously, unless you saw the story in the news when it was a big controversy years ago, how would you know about the small amount of bugs, mouse droppings, hairs etc. that are legally allowed to accidentally enter the process during the making of peanut butter? I am sure the majority of people would agree that it is one thing to know things happen by accident, or that you may breath in a bug while you sleep or eat a dog hair at your own home. It is however a totally different story to find out someone is purposefully putting bugs or other unknown or unexpected ingredients into your food and calling it "food coloring" or a "clarifying agent". It is no wonder people find themselves allergic to things and they can not figure out why. I would like to see more public awareness of these deceitful practices. I would like to see all companies have to label their products in a way that "any idiot" could read the label and understand exactly what is in the product. It took me a while to figure out my sore, peeling and swollen lips were do to an allergy to Vitamin E in a "chap stick" type product I had been using for years. In searching for a replacement lip moisturizer I learned that there are half a dozen different names used for Vitamin E in topically applied products. It shouldn't be this way. There should be a more strict standard for listing simple ingredients like Vitamin E so I don't have to carry a list of possible names around in my wallet when I shop for lotions, shampoos, makeup, sunscreen etc.... How about the food coloring should say Plant based, animal based etc... at least that would possibly have prompted someone to ask "what kind of food coloring is made out of animals?" The clarifying agent should say fish or seafood based clarifying agent. How about Pink Slime? The maker claims it is "beef". OK, it is beef, but it is heated and chemically treated so in my mind it should not be in my "fresh ground beef". 1) it isn't fresh after being heated and processed and 2) it has ammonia in it so it is more then just beef and that should be on the label! Being unaware that companies sneak freaky things into your food does not make people stupid nor does it mean they "probably didn't finish high school" and those people who make such ignorant and hate filled statements should shut their pie holes because nobody wants to listen to your hate and stupidity! Some of us are hear to learn and share information.
People tend to not like vegans because many vegans are arrogant, preachy, self serving, egotistical self righteous douchebags.
Yet you feel the need to reply to many of the comments here. Plus you do so with this bizarre seething resentment. Did a vegan dump you? Were you abused as a child by a carrot?
i'm vegan and i'm not all those nasty things you just lumped us all into. just trying to live with as much compassion as possible.
People tend to not like vegans because many vegans are arrogant, preachy, self serving, egotistical self righteous d-bags.
Yes, and meat -eaters can be deranged and cruel. Your point?
I just read that these bugs are processed by a numerous different methods of boiling either in water, ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution to extract the colorant and in every case alum is added and sometimes Stannous chloride, citric acid, borax, or gelatin may be added to get the correct color and stabilize the color........ It is not just bug juice, there are several chemicals involved in the processing of these bugs and that, to me, takes it way farther then just the icky gross out factor. How is it "natural" to process anything with chemicals? One thinks of a label of being natural as also being more healthy and closer to the raw food itself but you can't eat or drink ammonia, it will make you sick or kill you!
What do you consume that you think is chemical free?
I am so glad you graduated High School,Yet flunked Spelling class. Thank You for playing Troll. Your Community Library has English classes available for all illiterates. You do have a Library Card?
You are describing a characteristic of the human race, not just vegans.
@shawn l you are describing a characteristic of humans in general, not just vegans.
None so much as a vegan. How do you know if someone is a vegan? Within the first 10 minutes of meeting them they will bring it up.
I think it's acceptable for people to state they are vegans when they meet someone new. It notifies the individual that there is a limit as to what kinds of foods they eat. After all, eating is pretty much one of the common things to do when socializing. Just like when my husband, when we first met, told me that he was allergic to tomatoes. That then ruled out a lot of pasta-dominated restaurants on my mind for a first date.
Nobody cares what your dietary habits are besides yourself and your family.
Regarding labeling, suppose I care whether my milk came from a black cow or a white cow ... suppose I think it makes a difference? Should milk producers then be required to state that on the label? If only a nut would think it matters, why have that requirement?
Yes, it's just Nutty to care about what goes into your body...but, gosh, I wonder if there's a connection between food and the high rate of cancer..Nah!!
Overall I don't really care that bug were used in the creation of food dyes because bugs are just protein enjoyed by humans in many parts of the world, but you actually make some really great points... saying something like "plant-based" or "animal-based' would be helpful, not allowing words like "fresh" and "natural' if it's processed, including the ingredients (like ammonia) that make the ingredients listed on your ingredient list... those are fair, I do like to know what I consume!
Smart you!
It's interesting to think about the time in America when we went from an agricultural society to an industrialized one, and then from an industrialized one to the present. In the early years, we grew our own food-we might trade with others or might buy other local food, but we knew where the food had come from and generally knew under what circumstances it was grown. Industrialization provided things for us to use-cars, heating stoves, grain grinders, but generally not food. Most of us now receive food that is grown and processed far away from us, by strangers. We really don't know what we are eating most of the time – who grew it, how they grew it, if they cared about their product or were careless in how they processed it and how it arrived at our home. We take the word on the packaging (in many cases more money is spent on this than on the nutritional content of the food inside) that the food is good and count on our bureaucratic regulatory agencies to verify that – a somewhat impossible feat. We have created a fairly unstable, unreliable system, and seem surprised when we are not more informed about the content of our purchases.
How many bugs do you swallow in your sleep? How many are processed in with your grains, your coffee and your convenience foods. Vegetarians are so disconnected from reality they live in a neurotic delirium. They don't weep when they eat a cat hair, but god forbid there should be a molecule of fish in a beer (clarifying agent isinglass) or a bug, much like the ones they run over with their cars on a regular basis, in their coffee. The skin cells that fall off in their own mouths daily, the cells in their mouths from love making, it's interesting how these moon bats pick which animal products they mentally collapse over.
it bugs vegetarians that starbucks uses bugs in their product, and pepsi uses human fetal tissue in the production of their drink. No biggie. that's progress!
Thanks to Upton Sinclair,there have been laws,for more than a century,that regulate how many and what kinds of insects and bugs may be in your meal,along with how many rat droppings and mouse farts might be,also.Enjoy !
Any vegetable-arian not knowing stuff like this probably did not graduate high school.
Validate your 2nd Amendment Rights.Carry.
All of which makes me feel MUCH better having given up Starbucks. Their coffee's nasty and they've refused on "moral grounds" to send free product to our troops in the Middle East. Good to know that I missed out on my daily dose of bug ass in the bargain.
Ummm... you should do your research, it was a semi-fabricated story
Frim urbanlegend web site:
"Marine Sgt. Howard C. Wright, who authored the original message in May 2004, subsequently issued a mea culpa (currently being distributed by Starbucks in answer to queries about the issue) in which he said:
Almost 5 months ago I sent an email to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.
In its own official response to the email rumor, Starbucks explains that while the company has "the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel," corporate policy prohibits direct donations to U.S. troops because the military doesn't fall under the strict definition of a public charity. Individual employees are free to donate their weekly pounds of take-home coffee, however, and according to Starbucks' statement many have done so."
PS: As David St. Hubbins said, in the movie Spinal Tap; "I believe virtually everything I read, and I think that is what makes me more of a selective human than someone who doesn't believe anything."
Cochineal From Wikipedia,
The cochineal is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the crimson-colour dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico, this insect lives on cacti from the genus Opuntia, feeding on plant moisture and nutrients.
The insect produces carminic acid that deters predation by other insects. Carminic acid, which occurs as 17-24% of the weight of the dry insects, can be extracted from the insect's body and eggs and mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal).[1] Carmine is today primarily used as a food colouring and for cosmetics.
A nopal cactus farm for the production of cochineal is traditionally known as a nopalry.[19] There are two methods of farming cochineal: traditional and controlled. Cochineals are farmed in the traditional method by planting infected cactus pads or infecting existing cacti with cochineals and harvesting the insects by hand. The controlled method uses small baskets called Zapotec nests placed on host cacti. The baskets contain clean, fertile females that leave the nests and settle on the cactus to await insemination by the males. In both cases the cochineals have to be protected from predators, cold, and rain. The complete cycle lasts 3 months, during which the cacti are kept at a constant temperature of 27 °C (81 °F). Once the cochineals have finished the cycle, the new cochineals are ready to begin the cycle again or to be dried for dye production.
Zapotec nests on Opuntia ficus-indica host cactiTo produce dye from cochineals, the insects are collected when they are approximately 90 days old. Harvesting the insects is labour-intensive, as they must be individually knocked, brushed, or picked from the cacti and placed into bags. The insects are gathered by small groups of collectors who sell them to local processors or exporters.
Nice to see someone educating instead of just opining!
Another hilarious aspect of all this: cochineal was selected as an alternative to the synthetic dyes Starbucks had been using in response to customer feedback. The previous dye, red #40, is a compound derived from oil. Which in turn is an animal product. Apparently, vegetarian no-nothingness wasn't quite able to encompass the absurdity of their position, probably due to a lack of amino acids that impaired their reasoning abilities.
I am not a vegitarian, but I understand why they are mad, they have a right to know what is in what they eat.
Then they should do their research and ask questions before they consume. Zero sympathy.
How is it that they DIDN'T know? Starbucks went out of their way to tell people what ingredients they were using; even more, they changed those ingredients when customers complained that they wanted an alternative to synthetic dyes. But Starbucks didn't hide their choice; they let everyone know.
If people don't know what cochineal is after more than 500 years of use, that's their problem, not Starbucks.
Nuthin I like better than a few bug parts mixed in with my cappuchino to start the day off right. MMMMM. Dont let this bug you.
Almost all red colored foods use a red dye made from South American beetles. We've all known this for a long time.
Not really. M&Ms don't use it, nor do consumer food colorings.
This stuff is in many, many products – sodas, ice cream, cereals, makeup, etc etc and it goes by several different names. You've been using/consuming it for a long time, likely without knowing. You'd have to leave human society altogether and go live on a mountain somewhere and grow all your own stuff if you want to really be vegan or vegetarian. Good luck with that.
The real question is how do we get this extract from the beetles? Are there beetle farms where hundreds of beetles are raised under inhumane conditions, packed into cramped cages, fighting over food? How are they killed? Are they crushed alive feeling all the pain? We need to start a movement to improve the short lives of these poor bugs; maybe start a rescue/adoption program for them. If you support me in this, please send a donation to support my new foundation Beetle Savers...
LMAO! B.S. indeed!
LOL!!
Well I, for one, will only buy free range beetles..
I'm sure we could find a suitable replacement in you. If we squeezed you hard enough something red is sure to come out.
Save a plant. Eat a vegetarian.
You're not just eating these bugs, you're eating every bug they've ever been with!!
1st – Eww! I'm not a vegetarian and this bugs me. 2nd – since when is a beetle an "animal"? 3rd – if you're the vegetarian that does not eat meat because you love animals, or in this case bugs, tell me you don't squish a spider if it's in your house.
Are you kidding? She makes me carry the spiders outside when she sees them! No way would she go for this!
Katie, Insects ARE animals- the animal kingdom includes insects, fish, crustaceans, all vertebrates, and invertebrates, etc and humans!
I'm a vegetarian, but I know that carnivores prey on herbivores, parasites eat slowly eat their hosts, and there are insect fragments in my Wheaties. I spray the ant hills in my back yard.
I'm a vegetarian because I cannot stand the thought of how our food animals are processed, particularly the mammals and birds. The animals live their short lives in a hell that would give Satan the dry heaves. I cannot bear the thought of their suffering. I drive by a dairy and I see cows standing motionless on a mound of their own feces. They are motionless because there is no where to go. We are monsters.
Much love to you, El.
2nd – since when is a beetle an "animal"?
Since it moves of its own will. A beetle has always been a animal, you might need to go back to grade school, it seems you missed a day.
@Katie, in general, if it isn't a single celled organism like a virus or bacteria, and if it isn't a plant, then it is an animal.
This really bugs me.
Now we know what to do with all our old roaches.
It's funny that nobody complains that their Starbucks Mocha-mega-ultra-frappa-creama-chino has 10,000 calories and will clog their arteries and expand their wasteline. But grind up a little insect for color and everybody freaks the blank out.
Correction – that's a Starbucks Mocha Triple Whip Crappafroofroo
*snicker*
I agree Joe- people drink that artery clogging stuff but are grossed out by a bug dye. In some parts of the world insects form part of the regular diet. I do think we should know how they color our food though. Some dyes are poisonous. The food industry is very unethical. We are eating dangerous stuff all the time. Pesticides are products for the sole purpose of killing living animals. even though it may not kill humans, it is obviously a poison. Celery retains loads of herbicides and pesticides – might as well eat a mouthful of poison! The bug juice in coffee is probably safer than most of our food!!!
Starbucks switched to cochineal dye in response to customer feedback that indicated an unhappiness with synthetic dyes. They have been entirely open about what ingredients they use, and remarkably willing to accommodate customer requests, as in this instance.
It is utterly impossible, however, to make a self-absorbed zealot happy, and vegans especially fall into this camp.
Wait a minute. Are you saying that if I drink too many of these things with bugs in them, I will die, and then the bugs will get to eat me? Sounds like revenge to me.
Nasty food chain! Who knows what insects those bugs ate.
Bugs. Yummy!! Good source of protein and they keep your energy level up.
Give us that plate of black beetles, Mate... that's a good lad.
I'm waiting for the double, tall, iced, skinny roach special. Yum.
I have a massive headache, now.
If you have ever eaten M & M's, specifically the red ones then you have eaten bugs. It's used in alot of the red dye you see in candy and red foods to make it look redder.
I'm happy its bugs, red 40 is just bad stuff. You squeamish people need to be left on a hill for a few days
What the Hell is wrong with you people?????!!!! What the hell do you mean you don't care that bugs are in your food! Insanity!! When I buy lettuc and I see bugs in it...I throw it out. I have a RIGHT not to eat anything that I would not chose to and our government has long robbed it citizens of that choice but no wonder with idiots like most of you giviing the ok on everything. I won't even bother tellling you how many chemicals the FDA has approved to be in our food that are actually killing all of us. Of course, what do any of you care. Nasty Freaks!!!!!!
Get over yourself already
So your opposed to chemicals in your food? Why do you think this method of coloring is being used? To avoid the use of chemicals. Besides its the acid in their bodies that is used. Maybe if you bother to look up the ingredients they post on manufactured food you would discover you were informed. The very definition of the ingredient would be your first clue Become more involved in life. Stop complaining as you sit ingesting spoon fed information.
Shouldn't you be out on a ledge somewhere?
Uh – cochineal dye has been used for over 500 years in the West – longer in South America. You've eaten it many times, along with plenty of bugs from other sources. Bugs are everywhere.
Cochineal is used because it's a natural coloring, unlike the more commonly used synthetic dyes which many people object to. Cherry juice is another natural red coloring that is frequently used; it also contains loads of juiced bugs.
Also – how is Starbucks NOT telling you what's in their drink? They're going out of their way to do so, and their choice of coloring is based on customer demand.
Killing us? I wonder why the life expectancy of people in the US continues to rise? Kinda shoots holes in your argument.
They want us sick, but not dead. If we're sick we provide more money for Big Pharma, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies etc. Better to eat in the healthiest way possibly- live LONG and WELL.
It must be rough, going through life, being so paranoid. Whatever you do, don't Google "dust mites", you will go right over the edge. You would not believe what is crawling over your skin right now.
Have a nice day.
Good point JRR! Insects are an essential part of the natural cycle. Our eyelashes have little bugs in them- helps clean our eyes- google them if you don't believe me!
Please don't ever read the FDA manufacturing requirements that tell you how many parts per million of bugs, etc. are allowed in processing. You may never eat again.
A recent study concluded that the average person eats approximately 2 pounds of insect parts and rodent hairs a year through their normal consumption of processed foods. The FDA allows certain levels of “natural contaminants” in our food. For example, a bowl of spaghetti is permitted 200 or so bug fragments—one for every gram of pasta—fifteen fly eggs, and a maggot. So now that you know that there are fly eggs, rodent hair, mold, and fecal matter in everything that you buy I guess you can cross grocery shopping off your to-do list.
Bugs can make for a greatmeal,or even a snack ! Bar b qued grasshoppers,lightly brushed with chili and garlic sauce,pull the wings off and enjoy !
Tell the FDA you don't want bugs in your processed foods.Or the ones fresh from your garden.
Validate your 2nd Amendment Rights.Carry.
And the 78 guage shells for hunting bugs are inexpensive.Don't forget your license.
Hellooooo! Do you have any idea how many bugs are in the grains you eat. You know the rice, breads, wheat, pancake mix whatever other kind of grain you eat? You know how you get weevil once in a while in your flour? Yea, its pretty much always in there. I actually freeze my flour products to keep them babies from hatching. Only cause I don't like to see them floating in my oatmeal! haha! I still am completely aware that they are there! hehe!
Hmmm... of course I live on a ranch where grains are grown and the likes. So I am probably a lot more calm about those kinds of things. Hell I know I have rats both under my house and in my attic! Frogs love jumping across my living room floor, and I have even found them half way up my walls! Hello! Hell we once had a rat the size of a large cat in our house stealing peanut butter cookies! We have mosquitoes the size of house flies out here! So I guess you know I am laughing pretty hard at you. You must be a city boy!
Then stay home and only consume foods you've grown and prepared yourself and be quiet. You made the choice to eat foods prepared by others. You don't have a right to know whats in it. You only have a right to choose where you eat.
If you're going to throw out produce because there is/was a bug on it, you might as well start starving yourself to death now. All produce has or has had bugs in/on it at some point.
People that aren't disgusted by the fact that we've all eaten bugs inadvertantly at some point are realists, not nuts.
Actually, it's true that using crushed cochineal beetles in strawberry products has been done at least since Victorian times I researched it once for a historical novel. So it's got a long, long history, and honestly, if you've ever breathed outdoors during the spring, you HAVE eaten bugs. ;)
Thirty trillion spiders can't be wrong. Enjoy!
Bugs are in everything and crawling all over us right now relax.... They are great source of protein and in this case you get to eat them without feeling like a contestant on fearfactor. :)
I am not a frog or lizard. I don't eat bugs! Lisa, I agree with you: We should be told if there are ingredients made out
of insects. I won't touch another Starbucks drink! My husband tells me the bread industry puts SAWDUST in our bread! I think sawdust should be listed on the package with the rest of the ingredients. It is deceitful not tell us what is our food.
THe way companies have lobbied and gotten the rights to say what they want on food packages is sad. Carmel coloring, that is made from amonia, not suger. Nutra-sweet, that is made from "complex hydrocarbons" now if you dont know what that is, it is gasoline, and other form of petrol. All processed food is poision.
Uh – how is Starbucks NOT telling you what's in your drink? They're going out of their way to let you know, and to accommodate other customers who demanded a natural red coloring rather than the synthetic, petroleum-based alternatives more commonly used. They could probably have also used cherry juice – another common red coloring – but you should be aware that cherry juice is also chock full of juiced bugs. Bugs are everywhere. You eat them everyday.
Starbucks only "told" us after someone investigated and revealed the truth which left SB with the option of confirming the truth or lying.
There is just TOO MUCH stuff hidden in our food because the FDA says it is safe. ("pink slime" in hamburger)
That is simply false. There is an ingredient list posted at every Starbucks I've ever been to, and there has been for at least several years.
You just THINK that you don't eat bugs. You do.
There is nothing wrong with eating certain bugs. It's better than fake, artificial, chemically recreated stuff. Be glad it's all natural and not chemically reproduced ingredients.
You do realize that water is a chemical, right?
You do realize water is not man made. Duh! lmfao
what, oh who cares...coffee, coffee, get me some f*cking coffee, ah, Starbuck's! pull in!
No need for debate. Bugs = ew whether they have been used for hundreds of years or not, called another name or not, or whatever, I do not WANT to eat bugs. Thank you very much. They need to use a DIFFERENT not harmful or gross color (like in this case, the natural strawberry) – imagine the jobs we could create to find that color, NOT made from...*shudder* BUGS !!!! FOUL FOUL FOUL!!!
There's always the old standby, Red Dye #2.
If you don't like eating bugs, stop eating. Bugs are everywhere; you eat several every day.
The red color adds no taste to the food. Strawberry flavor can be created simply in a high school chemistry lab.
If you're starving to death, you'll eat bugs. I guarantee it. You're just a spoiled snotball that actually has the privilige of choosing what they want to eat.
Anyone who puts anything in coffee besides a bit of milk deserves what they get. If you really hate coffee so much, go to Denney's where it doesn't qualify.
Anyone who puts anything on their burger besides a bit of ketchup deserves what they get. If you really hate burgers so much, go to k&w where it doesn't qualify.
Milk has bugs. Go fish!
Where do I find teeny tiny bug-fishing poles?
I have seen the story of a person finding bugs in a gallon of milk and claims of a bug being found in cheese but I have not seen anything about the majority of milk containing any bugs other then the natural microbes and bacterium that are part of the actual milk that comes straight out of the cow, goat or other milk producing animal or even humans!
Where did you get your facts about there being bugs (I assume you mean the creepy, crawly insect kind we are talking about here) in milk?
Better not tell the vegans about what the shellac on their Birkenstocks is made from...
You can buy Birkenstocks that do not contain leather or shellac. Many people do. Also, many people who would not EAT meat are comfortable using leather goods. Everyone should draw their own lines where their consciences tell them to, and not impose THEIR values on others, or degrade others because their lines don't coincide with where you draw yours. Unless you want to eat me or mine, and then I will be delighted to impose my Second Amendment values upon you.
Not my point – which was, that far too often those who whine the loudest are the least aware of the hypocrisy that permeates their own drab, wretched lives.
example, the leader of the terrorist group PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) is a type 1 diabetic. That means even though this dumb ignorant broad claim that all animal testing is torture and that zoos are slavery, she used pig insulin to live every day of her life. But because it is HER it is okay.
Actually Mickey, diabetics generally use synthetic human insulin made using recombinant DNA techniques in a lab. There is even a version of it made in safflower plants. Humans respond better to human insulin than to pig or cow insulin, so animal insulins are not generally used anymore.
This is like those disgusting Smart Balance so-called dairy products that contain FISH. When meat products (and bugs are meat) show up in places where no one in his or her right mind would expect them, like a milkshake type drink, yes, it is gross, objectionable and disgusting. I seriously doubt if I can be perfectly vegan/vegetarian, but I can certainly TRY. To diss people because they MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY consume something they don't want to consume is ridiculous. So - you eat that nice steak and it turns out to be whale, horse, ape or human. Not upset that they didn't warn you? Not upset that you ate an animal that you didn't want to? That you think should not be consumed by humans? What is the difference? Does this mean you are a stupid fool to not be a cannibal ALL THE TIME? No. It means you were hoodwinked, either accidentally, or, as in the case of *$, on purpose.
Uh – cochineal has been used as a dye and food coloring for over 500 years in the West, and longer in South America, where it derives from. You've eaten plenty of it. And if you're really that hypersensitive about such things, it's your responsibility to read the ingredients – which are readily available at Starbucks and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, bugs are everywhere, and whether you like it or not you eat several of them every day.
What a waste not to eat meat. There's a reason it tastes good to us. mmmmmmm meat !!!!!
Cows are probably really upset when we don't eat them. I can just see a cow out in a pasture thinking, I'd make a real good steak right now. Why presume cows have the same sensibilities you have? Especially since cows don't have sensibilities!
Tiger Lilly,
I want to adopt you,
Signed
Granny
Good job Tiger Lily, I totally agree!
cochineal beetles have been used as a red food coloring for perhaps a 100 years. There's hardly an American alive who hasn't eaten cochineal beetles.
Actually, more like 500 years. In the West, anyway. Their use in Aztec culture stretches much farther back in time.
I don't see a reason for anyone to be upset given that the ingredients are listed. It's up to the hypersensitive to perform their own due diligence; if they don't want to bother learning what a given ingredient is, I'm not interested in their whining.
Native Americans used cochineal beetles. Aren't Native Americans supposed to be the epitome of oneness with nature?
one with nature does not mean lilly livered anti-food vegans, it means they knew what everything was ad was for, and used every plant animal great and small to live there lives the best they could. They were not afraid to kill to survive, only vegans are afraid to kill to survive.
Exactly my point.
Actually, for most vegans, the issue isn't with killing animals for food, it's with factory farming and mistreatment of the animals before they are killed for food. You won't find many instances of native Americans de-beaking chickens and cramming 6 of them in a crate so small they can't move their wings or beating small pigs to death because they aren't growing fast enough. You likely won't find any instances of mad cow disease in native American history (a disease which is commonly spread through feeding cattle brain matter of other infected cattle)
I'm not a vegan (still eat lots of fish), and I'm not ethically opposed to killing animals for food, but I am highly opposed to mistreating animals simply to maximize their profit potential.
That said – who gives a rat's patootie about a few bugs in your coffee? I get more than that in my teeth riding a motorcycle :)
Guess what, carapace is a major ingredient of most jellied candies, like gummi-bears. It used to be mainly horse hoofs that were used for gelatins that produce many different food products and nail strengtheners, now they use mostly bugs, but some animals still as well. Look it up! These people have probably eating bugs most everyday in one form or another and never even suspected it. Beats a lot of the toxic waste chemicals used that probably cause cancer and birth defects.
Gelatin is a MEAT PRODUCT and vegetarians and vegans watch out for it everywhere. WE aren't the people who don't know what is in gummy candies or jellied salads, and we ask, and avoid. Omnivores are often shocked at what is in their foods. They don't even know what gelatin IS.
Asian cultures use non-meat gelling agents like agar-agar (aka kanten) or Irish Moss (aka carageenan) or what is called "kosher gelatin" which is (usually) carageenan, but sometimes kanten, but, if you ask your local Rabbi, definitely NOT MEAT.
Horses hooves have to be trimmed every 6-8 weeks. Perhaps if they use the trimmings instead of chopping the feet off a dead horse, then the gelatin could be eaten by a vegetarian? I chew on my own nails, that's all it amounts to. On the other hand, I don't suppose the volume of trimmings would be enough to support the Jell-O industry. Sounds like a great way to get rid of Jell-O.
I'm vegetarian ( a real one, not one of those but-I-eat-fish-and-chicken fakes) and I had to laugh at this. Don't these people realize how many bug parts are in flour, pulses, beans, dried berries, canned and frozen veggies, spices (really filthy) and herbs? Even Jainists realize you might inadvertently trod on or ingest an insect. Get over it and find a real cause, guys.
I prefer the "Mango Catapiller" smoothie myself
What doesn't upset vegetarians?
Hemp-filled granola bars dipped in tofu, eaten while wearing Birkenstocks & smoking a hookah pipe filled with herb.
Hellz, yeah.
I don't understand why vegans don't respect plant life as much as animals. They're all food.
Ignorant, reactionary stereotyping much?
Nope! Answerin' a query with an open, honest perspective. Hurts to be judged, don't it?
A better question is: "why are people so easily upset by the existence of vegetarians"? Why do you care?
Last I checked, it was more than vegetarians who are squeamish about eating bugs, and it wasn't vegetarians who got all queasy about "pink slime".
If McDonalds was using dog or cat meat in their hamburgers, you'd find a lot of upset carnivores out there.
In fact, just what doesn't upset carnivores? They're upset by eating bugs, they're upset by eating dogs or cats, they're upset by pink slime, and they're upset by vegetarians!
dog or cat would not bother me, ive had hourse and it was great. The pink slime bothers me beacuse it is an amonia based product. I do not buy pre-ground meat, because 100% of it is aminiated and chloranated (thats bleach). Fast food, and all processed food is GROSS. I am an omnivore, but I dont want chemicals and things that are not food in my food, btw all processed food has a certen level of bugs and bug parts that are alowed, it is a side effect of the factory process, it is unavoidable.
Why so upset?
Because Cheerios and urine don't mix?
doesnt bug me at all
Bugs are not meat. If you are a vegetarian and don't think bugs should be a part of your diet why are you eating veggies? I have a garden bugs like veggies I pick them out you really think commercial farms get all the bugs out before they put your Veggies in bags?
The person who wrote this doesn't know their Starbucks drinks...it is a strawberry and cream frappuccino. This is not a coffee drink... it is basically like a strawberry milkshake.... and very yummy.
And 420 calories, 108 of those from fat. It's the fat they should worry about, not the bugs.
What about all the bugs that are crushed by the agricultural equipment used to make their tofu and bean sprouts? Collateral damage?
Exactly. Bugs already get into everything. And due to their prolification are probably more sustainable – and good for the planet – then crops are.
That said, as a meatinarian, I avoid Starbucks anyway. Just go chomp on a 1 pound tub of butter or eat 10 pints of Hagen Dasz if you're going to drink that sugary Starbucks junk.
You're speaking all or nothing which is incorrect. I simply order a Starbucks "Americano" and put into it whatever I like although I drink it black
This is news? Food dyes have been made this way for many, many years. This was never a secret...
I am not a vegetarian but I wouldnt drink this coffee either! Yuk
I'm with you anna. "Strawberry and cream cappucino?" I don't care what makes it's color, that's not coffee. That's a fru-fru concoction made for people who don't like coffee. I'll take a grande, black, to go. That usually throw's the drive thru folks into a tizzy.
Yes, black coffee. Not crushed beetle dung flavored triple whip crappafroofroo drinks for wimpy poseurs. And Who goes to Starbucks anyway? That's so 1998.
"triple whip crappafroofroo drinks"
Can't ... breathe ... laughing .... too .... hard .... oh .... the tears ...
Thanks. I SO needed that today.
"Who want's an orange whip? Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips." - John Candy, the Blues Bros.
Most coffie drinkers would be sad if they knew how coffie was discovered. And anyone who has seen the strawberry drink as Starbucks and thinks that is a natural color for the strawberries... I want to know where you by that color berries. Personally I stick with a vente carmal machiato with an extra shot and extra caramel. It is breakfast, coffie, and desert all wrapped into one, and it keeps me wired for 5-6 hours.
How was coffee discovered? I hope it was something disgusting. You reminded me of Sumatran civet coffee, I really want to try it. They say its the sh!t.
Blues Brothers is the greatest. Too many quotable lines and great music.
The writer was incorrect. The Starbucks drink containing cochineal extract is a frappuccino.. basically a strawberry milkshake.. not a cappuccino. It is one of the coffee free drinks on the Starbucks menu.
The vegans don't like it? The cochineal beetles aren't too happy about it. either.
Ha! :-)
There are many ingredients that are made from natural sources that would disgust some people. They're processed before being used, though, not just thrown in willy-nilly. The next time you pop a marshmallow into your hot chocolate, remember gelatin is derived from tasty things like animal hooves. And I'm sure most people don't have a problem with organic vegetables grown using animal manure as fertilizer (now there's a conundrum for those who won't use "any animal products"!). I'm personally not a big Starbuck's fan, but I certainly don't take issue with them using an extremely common coloring ingredient in some of their products. I do agree that large companies like this should have ingredient and nutrition info available both at the kiosks and on their website, so if a person is allergic to or has dietary or moral objections to a particular ingredient, he/she can avoid foods containing it.
Yes. This. BTW, veg types DO know what goes into their food, and tend to be cautious. My horses, who are vegetarians, supply manure for my garden. That's an animal product that doesn't hurt the animal, but does help the plants, and my family. The point isn't that it is an animal PRODUCT, in that it is produced by an animal, but that nothing about its production, collection or use harms the animal. Honey, OTOH, unless you know your source, is often harvested by killing the bees, and I do not use it unless I know the source.
And if I have to have a marshmallow (necessary for S'mores), I make my own using kanten, which, in case you didn't know this, gives a much nicer texture to any gelled product.
Big deal
The fast food places in my area have been using bugs in their food and drinks for years
Why is Starsky and Bucks being crucified for this? Every glass of pink lemonade in the world uses this. Note to World: Lemons are yellow.
Yeah really!
Not every glass of pink lemonade. Most homemade pink lemonades don't contain it because they either use fruit juice (such as raspberry or strawberry or pomegranate) to color the lemonade or else Rose's grenadine (which I believe is the most widely sold brand) . Going on the Rose's grenadine ingredient list online, I'd actually prefer them to use cochineal extract.. instead they seem to use red dye #40 which is a petroleum derivative. Personally, I use a homemade grenadine made from pomegranates when I make it... it results in a softer, dusky rose pink lemonade as opposed to the bright pink of commercial brands.
Pretty much all fruit juice is chock full of juiced bugs. Visit a juicing plant or cider mill sometime.
So what do they use to make the coffee dark brown, bear poop?
Isn't everyone off of the original point? The original idea is food preparers are using substances without disclosing the ingredients to the buyer. Shame on Starbucks!
Actually, they did disclose it. That's why we're talking about it. They didn't have to. These bugs are used to color LOTS of foods we don't realize. Have been for hundreds of years. They didn't have to disclose it, but they did....I applaud them!
Look up that beetle. Its in almost everything red/orange/pink that we eat or drink. Been that way for years. Just google it
My position on this is that it is up to the person with the limited diet to do at least a very basic level of due diligence. I've know for decades now that carmine and cochineal extract (found both in foods and in cosmetics) is derived from beetles... and I'm not even vegan, just couldn't avoid finding this out as a vegetarian. Since 2011, in the US at least these have had to be specifically listed as ingredients and can no longer be masked as ambiguous "artificial color". Starbucks wasn't hiding anything... they can't. The vegans complaining are just lazy.
This is why Bug Juice is called Bug Juice.
I have no problem with Starbucks using this coloring in their product.
My only problem is that I go to their website and I don't see a list of ingredients. In this day and age people need access to ingredient lists so they can make the best decisions about what's going into their bodies.
Who put that wiley wasscal in my coffee.
Yes, and there is a bug in my margaritta!
I want to know what is in all my food. It should be my choice if I want to eat bugs or not. I want companies to tell me and everyone else what is in the food they are selling us. Let consumers decide what they are willing to put in their bodies. The problem is not the bugs, but the fact that companies hide what they are using in foods they are selling. AND H*LL NO I"M NOT WILLINGLY EATING BUGS. I get enough supply sleeping with my mouth open snoring every night thank you very much.
Thanks for the nightmares, Lisa.
You're eating bugs. Google "food defect action levels", and check the FDA site link.
Then avoid anything with carmine or cochineal extract on the label. It is also, by the way, found in the majority of red hued cosmetics to depending on your level of discomfort with eating bugs you might want to check your lipstick (if any) ingredients as well.
Then you're going to have to stop eating everything, because bugs are everywhere and you undoubtedly eat quite a few each and every day.
I thought that was common knowledge about cochineal beetles and red food dye in general – not a big deal. In other parts of the world bugs can be a delicacy. As several other people have pointed out – if you eat grains, guess what – there will be bugs processed in. If you are vegan, just avoid red dye and all grains – simple.
Oh, and don't drink any water because there might be single-celled animals living in it.
Single celled creatures are not animals. They are protists. Different branch of the tree of life.
I think companies like Starbucks should list all their ingredents so that consumers can make a witting decision.
However, I don't think Starbucks needs to change their formula just because vegans/Veggies object.
You mean like they've done in this case?
there is also coffee where the beans are ingested by animals and retrieved after excreted........how aboutr we just put pure poop in there too...........................here;s a suggestion, what's wrong with the color real strawberries create.............IDIOTS
haha... this made me laugh.
That would be the mocha frap..... or crap..... ;)
You are refering to Kopi Luak.
The coffee cherries are eaten by Asian Palm Civets and the seeds/pits pass through. Supposedly the digestive process alters the chemistry of the bean and the resulting coffee is supposed to be incredible, but at about $400/lb I don;t think I will be trying it anytime soon.
Of course this all begs the questions .... who first though of digging through poop for the beans?
again-ewwwwwwwwwwwwww
Uhm, that is what red food dye is made out of now. Since the end of Red Dye #2 they have been using this Red Dye #4. Don't just blame Starbucks, it is EVERYWHERE. The red icing on that birthday cake? Guess what.....?
There is also a red dye #40 (which is at least currently approved for use in food in the US, I believe, although there is some concern about a possible link to ADHD) which is a petroleum byproduct.
Personally.. I'd rather eat the beetles....
Mr. Beefburger asks, "Uhm, that is what red food dye is made out of now."
Now? No. This red dye has been in common use for perhaps a hundred years. This is nothing new.
EVERYBODY eats bugs pretty often. Cereal, oatmeal, etc have a % of bugs in the box. Many people survive on insect protein. If you don't like the idea, then don't go to Starbucks. I don't see this as newsworthy, except to spread the word that insects are ingredients.
Native folks that lived near Mono Lake,CA,used fly larvae as a staple food.Kinda bland.
insects are extraordinarily healthy and the most renewable of all protein sources on the planet, from a nutritional and environmental impact point of view, there should really be no complaints. I support vegetarians lifestyle choice, but if you consider environmental, health, ethical....etc reasons for making that decision, eating a bug now and again is really not that bad. Besides, they are likely getting plenty in all the grain products that they eat anyway.
Here's a fork in the road for ya: order something else or don't frequent to Starbux. Plenty of other places today sell good coffee.
I'm extremely allergic to this ingredient; it's called "natural color," "carmine" and "cochineal extract" in many many foods and makeup and some medications (it's used to color things) ... beware, the bug is everywhere and the FDA has been fine with this for years!
The FDA is also fine with pecans, which I am allergic to. Just because you or I have an allergy, doesn't make something bad or harmful. YOU have a problem, not the rest of the world. Don't blame anyone else.
The world doesn't revolve around you.
Yay Josh! Finally someone with some common sense about food allergies. Yes, allergies can be disastrous, but learn to adapt instead of making other people adapt to your issue.
I'm allergic to wood smoke and synthetic scents like perfumes, but that doesn't mean the neighbors down the block can't have a bonfire or people can't wear perfume. It just means I steer clear of that crap.
That's not her point. Her point is that because she is allergic to "something," she has the right to know if that "something" is used in whatever she is consuming so that she can make an informed choice and avoid consuming it. It's not about the world revolving around a person, it's about allowing a person to control their own world.
And she is aware. Because they disclosed the info. It's a NEW change, and they disclosed it. What else is there to talk about?
You can't steer clear of something if you don't know it in there!
Now she, and everyone else who's read this article, know and can steer clear. among other things, I'm allergic to cow's milk. I make sure if I order something that could contain what I'm allergic to, I ask. Anyone with an extreme allergy needs to ask that question. If the minimum wage clerk doesn't know, order something else.
Speak for yourself, the world revolves around me.
Luckily for you, in the US the FDA has required since 2011 that carmine or cochineal extract be specifically listed and no longer can be labeled as "natural color" (or a variation thereof). It is specifically listed on the bottle used in Starbucks as cochineal extract. If you have a concern.. either ethical or health related.. about this product, you really should ask. It isn't like it is hidden.
Beware of what? Unless you are allergic, this is safe and natural at least, unlike the artificial colors like Yellow 5, Red 40 et al. which are coal tar derivatives. The food industry thinks that food would look too bland and unappealing if they only used conventional ingredients to color our food. :/ But another thing is that eating bugs is not Halal or Kosher...
If a big corp cheats like this it is good business tactic....If a common man lies he is a felon !!!
this is greedy wall street and phony capitalism...
LOL..Ignorance is about today. People have been using this for coloring for thousands of years. It is a natural ingredient and not a chemical and that is cheating how exactly?
Water is a chemical. *Everything* is made from chemicals. You are made from chemicals. Get over it.
Early Aztec culture used the cochineal insect centuries ago....oh yeah, that's right...they also ripped out the beating and bloody hearts of their live sacrifices and potentially ate them, as well...
Who are they cheating or lying too? The dye is common and well documented. I've known about it for decades and I'm not in the food industry or a chemist or anything.. just a semi-informed, and definitely not strict, vegetarian who couldn't avoid finding out about it with even a casual research into animal products in food. The ingredient is plainly written on the bottle of syrup used to make the drink in the ingredients list. If you ask in a store, they will tell you or you can contact Starbucks customer service about allergins (for what it is worth, there is also a soy derivative in the strawberries & creme frappaccino)... this isn't lying or hiding something. Consumers also have a minimal amount of responsibility to at least inquire about ingredients especially in cases such as this when the ingredient in question is an industry standard in this type of product (ie. red or pink food).
You people are sick!!! I guarantee if everyone knew they would not sell half of what they do and they know that which is why these things have NOT been made common knowledge. By the way, when I buy fresh vegetables or fruit I have the option of checking it and washing them to ensure that there are no bugs but not when some vile idiot decides for me!
ROFL...I did not realize you were being FORCED to drink this at all. Wow.
Not cheating.Also, natural,and unless the growers are using pesticides,organic.Check your lady's lipstick,it most likelycontains bug butts,too.Red dye number nomatter is the alternative.That,or do without.
Are you one of them thar liberal progressive creatures,to instantly and unwarrantedly be seeking to poormouth folks ?
Validate your 2nd amendment Rights.Carry.
No, you can use the beetle dust dye, too.
Go for it! It'll make for a pretty batch of cookies.
And how is it cheating if the company is readily disclosing the information?
Think of all the bugs you inadvertently munch on when eating grains and vegetables. That's how I get my protein. Why the complaint?
ok good !! I keep avoiding them and you keep eating them ......thankyou