Barista, There's A Bug in My Frappuccino, Make That Thousands of Bugs

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Vegan blog "This Dish is Veg" recently revealed that the Starbuck's Strawberry Frappucino may not include dairy, but is definitely not vegan.

The drink is dyed using Cochineal extract or, in layman's terms, crushed up insects. 

Cochineal bugs produce carminic acid that helps to deter predators, but it also produces a brilliant red dye when the bugs are dried and powderized. This powder can be used to color food, cosmetics and textiles.

Starbucks claims that they were using the cochineal extract in order to make a shift to all-natural ingredients. We're sure the customers who purchased the Strawberry Frappuccinos didn't figure that bugs would be included in those "natural" ingredients though.

In fact, you know what has a natural red color? Strawberries. Why in the world does Starbucks need to add a dye to what is essentially a strawberry smoothie? 

Well, at least we now know why Starbucks charges so much for their beverages. It's all those little extras.