Starbucks announces strawberry Frappucino includes insect parts

So you want fewer artificial ingredients in your food? Well, be prepared to get some bug bits in your Starbucks strawberry Frappucino then!

The coffee giant has announced their signature pink drink gets its vibrant colour not from food dyes but rather crushed up insects.

They released a statement that reveals they use cochineal extract - or the ground-up bodies of insects - in place of chemicals for their strawberry milk drink.

To get that extra colourful ingredient just right, bugs from Mexico and South America are dried out and then ground up and used in their popular beverage.

While it may turn off some, the ingredients are not harmful. They are used to brighten up the colour of many foods including jams, meats, cheese, baked goods and alcoholic drinks. In fact, cochineal extract has been a staple in food and drink production for years.

Starbucks has said it’s using the bug bits to help reduce the number of artificial ingredients it puts in its products.

‘At Starbucks, we strive to carry products that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles and needs,’ their statement read. ‘While the strawberry base isn’t a vegan product, it helps us move away from artificial dyes.’

It has been deemed safe by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration but there are warnings from the World Health Organisation that cochineal extract may cause asthma and allergic reactions.