Lovelyish

holy fuck vegans

Wow.

beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice!

i wonder if it’s a typo and they just meant beet juice

Starbuck’s never said the drinks were vegan.  I am pretty sure they don’t even claim them to be vegetarian.  It’s gross, but alot of natural colors come from bugs.

What about the strawberries and creme frappuccino. . .? or is it just the soy

couldn’t they just use strawberries to make it pink? just a thought.

I don’t think they broke any law or misrepresented their product, but it’s just unpalatable to consumers.

Plus how do you think Smarties manage to get “no artificial colouring” on their packaging? Yup…beetledye

Well there are beetles in instant coffee as well.

Does anybody think that if the beetle extract info hadn’t gotten out, the people who are petitioning to get rid of it would complain?  It’s all psychological. I can think of PLENTY of other things that are far worse for them to petition about. 

@Bonnie_Sometimes@xanga - buying strawberries would probably be far more expensive. It’s usually that way with most restaurants that use substitutes for flavors and colors. In most cases, the fresher and more natural the food is, the more expensive it is.

I work at Starbucks and this is absolutely false. We use no dyes to make any color; the pink is the result of the strawberry puree. The only ingredients going into a strawberries and creme frappuccino include our strawberry puree (which is COMPLETELY natural and made from white grape juice, water, strawberries), milk or vanilla soymilk, ice, and creme base. There are no dyes.

Don’t believe everything you read!

Cochineal isn’t unusual. They use it in loads of candies to get the red candy coating. People should do their research if they’re that concerned. So far as I know, Starbucks don’t advertise those drinks as being vegan so they’re not really doing anything wrong.

@beautiful_imperfection_x@xanga - Hey there!  Starbucks just confirmed the use of the beetle extract on their blog, and promised to look into other natural alternatives:

http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2012/03/29/update-regarding-cochineal-extract.aspx

Let us know if there’s a better source for this info, and we will definitely revise the post to accurately reflect the latest info!

It doesn’t make a difference to me. I can’t taste it.

They use these same beetles in pink yogurt and lipstick, among other things. This has been known for a while, nbd.

I don’t understand what cochineal extract and lactose intolerance have to do with each other. If the cochineal extract is present in the strawberry puree, then anything using the strawberry puree would have it…not just the soy products.

In any case, most women probably use cochineal extract in their lipsticks/lip glosses and blushes anyways. What’s a few extra bug parts in your frap?

I sort of understand why vegans would be upset…although the production of all vegetables requires the decimation of millions of bugs. But, Starbucks should’ve revealed the info for people to decide for themselves.

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beetle tastes good

panic troll forgets only pissants and peasants are incapable of research. you and the pink slime group altogether, yuck.

@Dungeonbrownies@xanga - what? Starbucks confirmed it. She’s not trolling, it’s true.

@daydreams_nightmares@xanga -  of course it’s true! it’s just ridiculous treating people like morons like we don’t know what cochineal is, like we’ll freak out like lil kids, like we’ll suddenly be shocked or enraged that a common ingredient in lots of things happens to show up at a Starbucks. it just sort of feels like a huge bowl of condescension on the consumer part…

you do realise bugs are in almost everything you use / eat?

tinned food… processed foods, fruits, veggies etc

I am so drinking that more often!

chill out. they’ve been using beetles for red coloring for many many many years

its so pink and pretty no one would have guessed! haha

I dont know what this article is talking about. The soy milk isnt pink, and the strawberry puree thats used in the Strawberries and Creme Frapp is all natural.

MEH.

Outside of the issues vegans may have with cochineal extract, I think it’s stupid to get all up in arms over this.  There are worse food additives than insect casings.  It’s more important to watch trans fat and sugar intake than whether or not you’re eating a little bit of a bug.  And, frankly, how long have humans been eating bugs?  A long ass time.  Get over it.

If you’re a vegan and you’re seriously upset over this, petition Starbucks to make strawberry drinks that don’t have any coloring in them.  Ta-da, problem solved.  Do you really think your strawberry- or peppermint- or whatever-flavored drink would be any less tasty if it weren’t pink?

For good measure:  “Human insect-eating is common in cultures in parts of the world, such as North, Central and South America; and Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Over 1,000 insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world’s nations.”  (Link.)  Basically, if a bug is digestible and it ain’t poisonous, you can eat it.

My grandma was born in 1882 and her father would not allow red hard candy because of the cochineal coloring so this is nothing new. Now I’m a gr grandma so that makes 7 generations in my family to know about it. How many little red bugs does that come to?

why do they need to use dye? that’s not natural. strawberries are enough to make it pink duhhhhh

@beautiful_imperfection_x@xanga - It’s in the red velvet cupcakes. (I work at Starbucks too.)

@WildBlueYoshi@xanga - Also happens to be one of the best sources of protein on the planet.

why can’t we just use… I don’t know STRAWBERRIES?!! 

Yum!

Yeah ok… I don’t care. As long as I don’t see the bug in my drink. And it sounds like they extracted something from the bugs, not crushed to bits and served them up. 

Starbucks is also banning screenwriters: http://hollywoodandswine.com/starbucks-bans-screenwriters-from-all-19435-locations-worldwide-wga-vows-fight-decision/

Starbucks is also banning screenwriters: http://hollywoodandswine.com/starbucks-bans-screenwriters-from-all-19435-locations-worldwide-wga-vows-fight-decision/