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The coffee you sip every morning may make you pause, as it could be hiding a surprising ingredient — tiny traces of cockroaches. While it sounds alarming, food safety regulators say this is completely normal and safe.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explained that small amounts of insect contamination are unavoidable in large-scale food production. For raw coffee beans, before roasting and grinding, a batch is considered problematic only if more than 10% of the beans are insect-damaged.
Whole coffee beans are much less likely to have insects than pre-ground coffee. Grinding beans not only gives your coffee a fresher, better taste, but it also reduces the tiny risk of unwanted extras.
According to the FDA website, "The insect filth and insects are no more than 10% of the total coffee beans by count are insect-infested or insect-damaged."
The idea that coffee might contain cockroaches isn't new. It first came up in the 1980s, when some people noticed that pre-ground coffee caused allergic reactions similar to those caused by cockroaches.
According to the food regulators, cockroaches are naturally attracted to the strong smell of coffee. When coffee is stored in warehouses, it's possible for tiny insects to get mixed in.
Because there can be so many cockroaches in a batch, it's almost impossible to remove every single one and that's why the FDA allows up to 10% of raw coffee beans to be insect-damaged.
They are considered safe and don't affect your health.
According to the FDA’s Food Defect Levels Handbook, cocoa and coffee beans have clear safety limits.
For cocoa beans, a batch is considered safe if less than 4% of the beans are mouldy, less than 4% are infested or damaged by insects, and less than 6% are either mouldy or insect-damaged.
ALSO READ | Harvard-trained gastroenterologist reveals how to make your morning coffee an anti-inflammatory powerhouse
For green coffee beans, a batch is unsafe if 10% or more of the beans are insect-infested or damaged. Similarly, if 10% or more of the beans are mouldy, the batch is considered contaminated.
Taking the idea of insects in coffee even further, a Beijing insect museum has recently introduced a coffee made with ground cockroach powder. The drink also includes dried yellow mealworms, creating a very unusual beverage.
According to Chinese doctors, yellow mealworms are high in protein and may even help boost the immune system.
https://sprudge.com/dont-worry-there-are-acceptable-levels-of-ground-up-cockroaches-in-coffee-tins-152088.html
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explained that small amounts of insect contamination are unavoidable in large-scale food production. For raw coffee beans, before roasting and grinding, a batch is considered problematic only if more than 10% of the beans are insect-damaged.
Whole coffee beans are much less likely to have insects than pre-ground coffee. Grinding beans not only gives your coffee a fresher, better taste, but it also reduces the tiny risk of unwanted extras.
According to the FDA website, "The insect filth and insects are no more than 10% of the total coffee beans by count are insect-infested or insect-damaged."
The idea that coffee might contain cockroaches isn't new. It first came up in the 1980s, when some people noticed that pre-ground coffee caused allergic reactions similar to those caused by cockroaches.
According to the food regulators, cockroaches are naturally attracted to the strong smell of coffee. When coffee is stored in warehouses, it's possible for tiny insects to get mixed in.
Because there can be so many cockroaches in a batch, it's almost impossible to remove every single one and that's why the FDA allows up to 10% of raw coffee beans to be insect-damaged.
They are considered safe and don't affect your health.
According to the FDA’s Food Defect Levels Handbook, cocoa and coffee beans have clear safety limits.
For cocoa beans, a batch is considered safe if less than 4% of the beans are mouldy, less than 4% are infested or damaged by insects, and less than 6% are either mouldy or insect-damaged.
ALSO READ | Harvard-trained gastroenterologist reveals how to make your morning coffee an anti-inflammatory powerhouse
For green coffee beans, a batch is unsafe if 10% or more of the beans are insect-infested or damaged. Similarly, if 10% or more of the beans are mouldy, the batch is considered contaminated.
Taking the idea of insects in coffee even further, a Beijing insect museum has recently introduced a coffee made with ground cockroach powder. The drink also includes dried yellow mealworms, creating a very unusual beverage.
According to Chinese doctors, yellow mealworms are high in protein and may even help boost the immune system.
https://sprudge.com/dont-worry-there-are-acceptable-levels-of-ground-up-cockroaches-in-coffee-tins-152088.html
