Starbucks Yet to Stop Using Cochineal Coloring Made from Beetles

As of June 7, Starbucks is still a few weeks away from transitioning away from the cochineal or beetle based red dye used in Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino blended beverage and Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Cochineal extract, also known as carmine is also used in food offerings such as Raspberry Swirl Cake, Birthday Cake Pop, Mini Donut with pink icing, and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie.

In April bowing to pressure, Starbucks had announced it would use tomato based lycopene to color its foods and beverages red or pink. Yet, before it made the switch, the company ran a promotion last month when all its Frappuccino drinks, including the beetle dye strawberry one, was on sale at half price in the afternoon.

A local Starbucks barista confirmed today that they have not seen the new formulation.

Read more about cochineal beetles and Starbucks' initiative here.

Colbert Report: Starbucks Used Cochineal Bug Based Coloring

Here is Colbert's Tuesday, April 17, 2012 "Thought for Food" report, where he discusses Starbucks' pink frappucinos colored with cochineal, or crushed beetles. Video courtesy: Colbertnation.com 


           

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Thought for Food - Bug Food Coloring, Hot-Dog-Stuffed Crust & Drugged Poultry
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

       

Starbucks Drops Beetle Derived Red Cochineal Extract

Outrage had broken out in late March and early April, when Starbucks confirmed it was using boiled and crushed beetle scales, called carmine or cochineal natural food coloring to color its strawberry frappucinos pink.

On Thursday, April 19, Starbuck's U.S. president, Cliff Burrows, said that "after a thorough, yet fastidious, evaluation, I am pleased to report that we are reformulating the affected products to assure the highest quality possible," using a tomato-based extract called lycopene.

However, the company needs two months to "fully transition" to the new products across the U.S., meaning your favorite fraps won't be bug juice free until the end of June. A brief article appeared on the Wall Street Journal, citing the change.

Burrows disclosed on the Starbucks blog that drinks that used cochineal beetle scales included Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino® blended beverage, and Strawberry Banana Smoothie. In addition, cochineal extract was used food offerings such as Raspberry Swirl Cake, Birthday Cake Pop, Mini Donut with pink icing, and Red Velvet Whoopie Pie.

So now your milk-based strawberry frap will don a tomato cape and fight prostrate cancer! PR brownie points?

If past is any indication, Starbucks may have a lawsuit brewing. McDonald's Corp. agreed to donate $10 million to Hindu and other groups to settle lawsuits filed in 2001 against the chain for mislabeling french fries and hash browns as vegetarian, when in fact it had been cooking them in beef extract.

Here is my earlier blog on the subject:

Say No to Foods Laced with Carmine (Beetle Juice)!

http://moneymatters-dalia.blogspot.com/2012/03/say-no-to-foods-laced-with-carmine.html