• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • recipes
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • shop
  • video
  • lifestyle
  • blogging
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • about
  • cookbooks
  • lifestyle
  • videos
  • shop
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes
    • about
    • cookbooks
    • lifestyle
    • videos
    • shop
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » This and That » Starbucks New Treats Contain Carmine Color

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Sep 13, 2019 · published: Apr 8, 2011 · About 2 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

    Starbucks New Treats Contain Carmine Color

    None of Starbucks new sweet treats like the cake pops (aka, cake on a stick) or whoopie pies are vegan – but did you know that they aren’t even vegetarian?..

    If you look closely at the 25+ ingredients list you will see that the new pink or red treats contain carmine as the food coloring. Now if you don’t know what carmine is – well – it’s bugs. Crushed insect shells. Yuck right? Starbucks, what happened?

    Just a few years ago Starbucks was on a healthy track with its “Real Food. Simply Delicious” campaign. But now they are toting treats high in saturated fat – with ingredients lists a mile long (most I read are 25+ ingredients). Nothing simple or delicious about that. But the bugs really get to me. And the worst part is the tiny quip I saw right on Starbucks website. (see below) So the question of the day is:

    Dear Starbucks, what’s up with your wishy washy branding?

    Red Treats. The worst part about Starbucks choice of food coloring is that they obviously very well know that they could easily use beets! 100% vegetarian beets! But for some crazy reason they chose bugs – and even crazier, they seem to be proud of that. See..

    I found this quip on the Starbucks whoopie Pie page..

    “Did you know
    While foods were rationed during World War II, bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes. Boiled grated beets or beet baby food are found in some red velvet cake recipes (but not ours!).”
    – Starbucks page (screenshot below with ingredients list)

    ..“but not ours??” Exclamation point? Really Starbucks? And what would be so bad about beets? Have you tasted beets? They are sweet! And pack a huge amount of coloring in every touch – my beet red stained hands after juicing beets are proof of that.

    So a warning to vegetarians – steer clear of Starbucks red and pink treats. Unless you don’t mind eating insect shells.

    In closing – Dear Starbucks, I know your brand isn’t “health food” but if you want to be a part of the solution to America’s obesity epidemic (rather than part of the problem) please go back to your healthier path – vegan raw snacks, soy milk, perfect oatmeal, soy Frapps, almond butter (you had it for a while! I miss it!) and fresh fruit. That’s my wish anyways. Anyone else agree??

    More This and That

    • Mother’s Day 2021
    • The Other Side of the Pandemic: Grandparents, Anxiety & Hope
    • so delicious mousse
      Taste Test: New So Delicious Mousse
    • Rainbow Smoothies
      Vitamix Giveaway!

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    10 Back to Work Tips for Moms

    Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!

    Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy

    Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies

    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky
    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms
    • Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!
    • Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy
    • Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies
    • Garage to ADU Conversion: Making of a Studio!

    summer fave: sweet potato veggie burgers

    sweet potato veggie burger

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Trending

    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms

    Hi, I'm Skylar! This is a fake profile talking about how I switched to a paleo diet and it helped my eczema and I grew 4". Trust me, I'm an online doctor.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • 10 Back to Work Tips for Moms
    • Vegan Dining at Disneyland – 2023 – Complete List!
    • Chill Your Way to Better Health? Exploring Cold Plunge Therapy
    • Mini Chocolate Candy Cookies

    You can duplicate your homepage's trending recipes section in the sidebar to reinforce the internal linking.

    We no longer recommend using a search bar, newsletter form or category drop-down menu in the sidebar. See the Modern Sidebar post for details.

    If the block editor is not narrower than usual, simply save the page and refresh it.

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    © 2023, polished dc LLC – healthyhappylife.com

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me