Cockroaches in Coffee: Assessing the Health Risks

Coffee drinkers were left reeling this week after a viral Instagram post claimed their daily brew contains ground-up cockroach fragments, raising questions about safety and triggering disgust among coffee enthusiasts worldwide.

The video, posted by content creator Tirthak Saha to his 392,000 followers, has amassed over 174,000 likes, 268,000 shares, and nearly 4 million views. In it, Saha references an interview with entomologist Dr. Douglas Emlen, who shared an anecdote about a colleague with cockroach allergies who discovered he was also allergic to pre-ground coffee.

“Coffee beans get infected with cockroaches in storage. It’s impossible to remove them all, so they just roast them together and ground them up,” Saha claims in the video, adding that food regulatory bodies permit a certain percentage of insect parts in food products.

The claim does have some factual basis. During an NPR interview, Dr. Emlen explained that his colleague, who studied cockroaches professionally, developed allergies to the insects over time. This same colleague noticed that pre-ground coffee triggered identical allergic reactions, leading to the revelation that cockroach fragments were likely present in the coffee.

Industry experts confirm that cockroaches are indeed attracted to the aroma of stored coffee beans. Given the massive scale of commercial coffee storage and production facilities, completely eliminating insect contaminants is virtually impossible. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges this reality in its standards, which allow coffee beans to contain up to 10 percent “insect filth and insects.”

But how concerning is this for the average coffee drinker? Dr. Rajeshwari Panda, Head of Dietetics at Medicover Hospital in Navi Mumbai, offers reassurance: “I know the idea of cockroach fragments in coffee can feel very unsettling, but it’s important to separate sensation from science.”

She explains that these trace amounts are non-toxic and pose minimal risk after being subjected to coffee’s high-temperature roasting process. “For the general population, such fragments do not pose a health risk,” Dr. Panda states.

However, there is one group that should take note: those with specific allergies. People with existing cockroach allergies or even shellfish allergies might experience cross-reactions because cockroaches and shellfish share certain protein structures. While roasting eliminates most risks, some allergens can survive high heat.

For these individuals, symptoms can range from mild itching to more serious gastrointestinal discomfort. Dr. Panda recommends that those with known insect allergies consider grinding fresh whole beans at home rather than purchasing pre-ground varieties.

The phenomenon highlights broader issues in large-scale food production. While home grinding virtually eliminates the risk of insect contamination, industrial storage and processing make it nearly impossible to completely prevent insects from coming into contact with food products.

This revelation comes at a time when consumers are increasingly concerned about food transparency and quality. Market analysts note that premium coffee brands emphasizing freshness and bean quality have seen growing market share in recent years, with artisanal coffee shops promoting freshly ground beans as a key differentiator.

Interestingly, while Western consumers may recoil at the thought of consuming insects, cockroaches are intentionally included in cuisines across various cultures. In China, the world’s largest consumer of cockroaches, they are sold as roasted street food and appear in traditional medicine. Mexico incorporates them into regional dishes, valuing their high protein content as a sustainable food source.

For most coffee drinkers, the trace amounts potentially present in commercial coffee pose no health concerns. However, for those with specific allergies, this revelation might prompt a shift toward whole bean purchases and home grinding methods—a practice already embraced by coffee purists for flavor reasons.

As one philosophical commenter on Saha’s viral post noted: “Extra protein. No big deal.” For others, though, their morning coffee routine may never be quite the same.