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Is there something mo’ hiding in your cuppa joe?
A woman named Tay went to the doctor recently to address problems with her GI tract.
“They thought I had Crohn’s disease, a gluten allergy, high [or] low blood pressure. you name it,” she recounted on TikTok.
It turns out it was her coffee she was allergic to — and not the coffee itself, but an unexpected ingredient.
The ingredient was cochineal, a scale insect that lives on cactuses. When crushed up, they create a deep red color. If you see “carmine”, “crimson lake” or “Natural Red 4” on an ingredient list, it’s made from the same bug.
“And then the doctor laughs, [they said] a little protein never hurt nobody,” she said. “But in your case, it is hurting you.”
Cochineal is an ingredient you’ll find in a variety of processed foods to add color: from yogurt to candies, juices, hot dogs, and makeup, including lipstick and blush. Cochineal aren’t cockroaches or beetles, two common misconceptions.
This particular bug is added on purpose, for color. But more disturbingly, there’s also likely ground up bugs in your coffee that got there by accident.
What’s allowed in your coffee?
About half of Americans drink coffee every day, and about 40% of the coffee purchased in the US is already ground.
That means coffee is being processed, roasted and ground at an immense, industrial scale — and some pests are bound to get mixed in during the process.
That’s why the FDA has an acceptable level of bugs and mold in coffee and other foods. The agency allows up to 10% of green coffee (before it’s roasted) to be infested or damaged by insects.
The biggest pest is the coffee berry borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei) — the bug at all stages of its life cycle, as well as its debris (i.e. its poop and shed skin) may be found in coffee, the FDA wrote.
Plus, there’s the coffee bean weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus), which gets into the coffee during storage. You might also come across the warehouse beetle (Trogoderma variabile), which loves stored foods like coffee.
The FDA also accounts for mold and fungus on coffee, plus a variety of other undesirables, from sticks and stones to paper, cigarette butts, and chewing gum.
The best way to eliminate the mystery of what’s in your coffee grounds, buy the beans whole. You’ll be able to see any foreign objects in the mix before you grind it yourself.
Are there cockroaches in coffee?
The bugs that are supposedly in coffee that you might hear the most about are cockroaches. People say that roaches love the dark, warm, humid conditions of an industrial roaster, or even that they love the scent.
The truth is more complicated.
There isn’t much evidence roaches are actually getting into your coffee. Testing on coffee from the FDA did show evidence of bugs, but not roaches specifically, according to Snopes. Some experts even say that the caffeine and acidity are toxic to roaches.
But what about the amount of bugs the FDA allows in your coffee? Well, according to a compliance guide published in 2002, cockroaches aren’t included in what’s allowed for green coffee beans.
“Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring food products for the U.S. market, including coffee, are safe and comply with applicable federal laws and regulations including preventing pests like cockroaches from contaminating food,” an FDA spokesperson told Snopes.
“To be clear, cockroaches are not allowed in coffee.”
