There’s no doubt that roaches are one of the most hated bugs on the planet Earth. Most people hate when they see one of those creepy pests crawling around their home. Pest Control companies make a fortune trying to help people keep their homes roach free. What if an ingredient from their biological makeup was inside a drink that you consume almost everyday? Tropicana Orange Juice is at center of a controversy regarding a bug ingredient, but is it roach blood?
Is Cockroach Blood in Tropicana Orange Juice?
If you’ve ever had to smash a roach then you probably know that their blood looks like oil from a car. A Change.org petition against Tropicana Orange Juice is going viral due to their use of cochineal extract, which comes from Cochineal beetles. While they may look similar to a roach, they actually aren’t roaches. Cochineal beetles are actually more closely related to aphids and cicadas. Cochineal extract is made from crushing these beetles. It’s reported that it takes up 70,000 cochineal beetles to make one pound of cochineal extract, which is used to make a red colored dye. Take a look at the ingredient list from Tropicana Orange Juice.
Roach blood isn’t in Tropicana Orange Juice, but an ingredient obtained directly from Cochineal beetles definitely is. The Change.org petition to remove the bug ingredient from Tropicana OJ is currently at 4,774 signatures with a goal of 5,000. It’s safe to say most people were shocked to learned that they have been drinking a substance extracted from a bug, but hey at least it’s not artificial.