By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
In January 2025, The Vegetarian Resource Group received an email from a reader about insect-derived shellac on coffee beans:
“I have read some of your articles before and it inspired me to look into whether my own favorite lifelong coffee brand used shellac/lac resin on their beans. I emailed the company and they said they would look into it, and this was their response:
‘Since shellac resin is not one of the top nine allergens required for labeling, we do not analyze for the presence of shellac resin. This means that cross contact is currently possible for all of our products throughout the complex chain of supply.’”
In June 2025 we contacted J.M. Smucker Co., maker of Folger’s coffee, and asked one simple question about their coffee via their website:
“Do any of your suppliers coat their coffee beans with shellac?”
A few days later we received their reply:
“…Our coffee beans are sourced from reputable suppliers in more than 20 countries around the world. From there, Folgers coffee beans are roasted, ground and packaged at facilities in the United States…shellac is not added to our product.”
However, this response did not directly answer the question so we called the company. We acknowledged that we had received their email reply but that it did not directly answer our question. Then we restated it and were told that our question would be researched further.
The VRG called the Smucker Co. again. This time, the customer service rep put us on a long hold to investigate. Upon returning, she confirmed that their coffee bean suppliers do not coat their beans with insect-derived shellac.
Based on this information from J.M. Smucker Co., it appears NO Folger’s brand coffee contains insect-derived shellac.
For tips about making productive company inquiries, refer to our previous article.
For other ingredient information, see https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.