Coffee Allowed to Contain 10% Cockroaches? I Don't Believe It!

Unpacking the Cockroach-in-Coffee Myth: What's Really in Your Ground Coffee?

In March last year, Dr. Karan Raj, an NHS doctor, posted a short video on his TikTok account @dr.karanr claiming that most pre-ground coffee sold in supermarkets and stores contains cockroaches (to avoid discomfort while reading, we'll refer to them as "Ah Qiang" below). According to the video, a certain percentage of coffee beans are contaminated by Ah Qiang and other insects before being ground into powder.

The video also mentioned that these insects typically cannot be completely separated from coffee beans, so they must be roasted and ground together with the beans. Most food regulatory agencies allow a certain percentage of insects in food products. While Ah Qiang is high in protein and generally harmless to humans, those allergic to Ah Qiang should avoid these pre-ground coffee products.

Shortly after the video was released, another TikTok pharmacist user @earthpothecary posted a short video stating that most coffee beans are stored in warm, humid environments—Ah Qiang's favorite places—making it extremely difficult to separate Ah Qiang from coffee beans. Therefore, coffee is allowed to contain up to 10% insect content, including Ah Qiang. Consequently, when buying pre-ground coffee from supermarkets, it might contain up to 10% insect components including Ah Qiang... The pharmacist added that if you want pure black coffee without Ah Qiang, you should buy whole coffee beans—at least you can see if there are insects inside...

Now, let's unpack how much misinformation these videos have brought to viewers.

The 10% Insect Content Claim

First, regarding the claim that "coffee is allowed to contain up to 10% insect content including Ah Qiang"—according to guidelines published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it's impractical to expect crops to be completely free of natural, harmless substances during harvesting and processing. The presence of natural harmless substances (such as insects, insect eggs, etc.) is inevitable. However, in the food preservation section, regulations state that if 10% or more of similar objects are found in even the smallest unit (such as a small box) within a batch of goods, the entire batch must be seized for inspection.

While the FDA's Microanalytical Procedures Manual (MPM) does mention that insects and feces are common foreign objects in coffee powder and coffee beans, other unexpected contaminants like mold, fungi, rodents, cigarette butts, chewing gum, and broom straws can also appear... These things can easily appear, so extra attention is needed.

Separating Insects from Coffee Beans

Regarding the claims that "separating Ah Qiang from coffee beans is extremely difficult" and "these insects cannot be completely separated"—in reality, coffee beans undergo manual selection to remove defective beans before entering the roasting stage. Is it truly impossible to completely separate them from Ah Qiang? Not practical. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act also requires food manufacturers to prepare, package, or store food under sanitary conditions at any stage of production or distribution. Food producers must also comply with regulations requiring effective pest control measures in production facilities to exclude pests like Ah Qiang.

In China, food processing and manufacturing factories with proper production licenses must maintain storage, production, and packaging environments that are 100% insect-free. Proper roasting facilities have essential equipment such as screens, pest elimination tools, and rodent barriers—everything needed to prevent pests. Therefore, production facilities cannot contain disease-carrying organisms like Ah Qiang, mice, or flies.

During certification, renewal, routine inspections, and surprise checks, these facilities are examined for compliance. Therefore, whether it's raw coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, or ground coffee powder, it's impossible for pests like Ah Qiang or rodents to be present. When purchasing coffee beans or coffee powder, consumers should recognize brands with proper production qualifications. On the other hand, as practitioners with compliant production qualifications and facilities, this can also avoid the appearance of malicious rights protection buyers.

Coffee Bean Storage Conditions

Regarding the statement that "most coffee beans are stored in warm, humid environments"—this claim itself is unreasonable. Whether for raw or roasted coffee beans, storage environments should never be humid. Raw coffee beans must be stored at 20-25°C with 50-65% humidity; generally, humidity levels above 80% are considered humid. Roasted coffee beans must be stored in dry, cool, ventilated, and sealed environments, with storage temperatures recommended around 20°C, but refrigeration is not advised.

Nutritional Value of Cockroaches

Finally, regarding the statement that "Ah Qiang is high in protein and harmless to humans"... um... If Ah Qiang is considered a pest, how can it be harmless?! If you must bring up specially bred Ah Qiang used for pharmaceutical purposes, that would be extremely far-fetched!

After watching the video at the beginning of this article, our writer silently picked up a cup of coffee and drank it without worry and with great satisfaction.

Related websites: https://www.fda.gov/media/72108/download https://www.fda.gov/food/laboratory-methods-food/macroanalytical-procedures-manual-mpm

Image source: Internet

Video source: Weibo @internet-garcon-pdf

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