The Controversial Ingredient Once Used In Starbucks' Strawberry Creme Frappuccino - Tasting Table

Starbucks offered creative Frappuccino flavors, including Strawberry Creme, which used cochineal to create a vibrant red color. Cochineal, also called carmine, is a natural red dye made from crushed cochineal insects and has been used for hundreds of years. It is FDA-approved, but Starbucks did not consistently disclose the dye’s source. Starbucks stopped selling cochineal-containing Frappuccinos in 2012 after vegan customers objected to the ingredient not being vegan. Starbucks’ president defended cochineal as natural and harmless while the company reviewed alternative coloring options. The chain later announced a switch to lycopene derived from tomatoes. Cochineal has also been associated with allergic reactions despite approval.

"For years, a flavor like Strawberry Creme seemed simple by comparison, but for years, it included a very controversial ingredient: cochineal. The vibrant red color came from the crushed shells of cochineal insects. It may sound shocking at first, but cochineal, or carmine, has been a natural source of red color in food for hundreds of years. It's also FDA-approved, so this wasn't some secret scandal that Starbucks was involved in behind closed doors. That said, the company wasn't making a habit of openly disclosing the source of the color, either."

"Starbucks stopped selling the Frappuccinos containing cochineal in 2012. Vegan customers pushed back against the use of cochineal after it became known that the dye was not vegan. Within a couple of weeks, Starbucks' president released a statement defending the ingredient as natural and harmless, but also said the chain would look into other options for coloring products such as Frappuccinos, cake pops, pink donut icing, and red velvet whoopie pies, which also contained cochineal. Less than a month later, it was announced that Starbucks would switch to lycopene, derived from tomatoes, as a natural color alternative."

"Cochineal insects, sometimes called mealybugs, are harvested in countries like Peru, where they live on cactus. The tiny bugs look like fungus on the plant. When crushed, they excrete an intensely red liquid. Aztecs and Mayans used the dye frequently. It was shipped to Europe by the Spanish and found its way into paint, textiles, and eventually food. Despite FDA approval, cochineal is not completely harmless. It has been known to cause allergic rea"

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