Posted on
January 13, 2026 by
The VRG Blog Editor
By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
Is your favorite cup of mojo truly vegan, brewed with coffee beans not coated with the insect secretion shellac? Our research into over 15 companies affirms it most likely is.
What Is Shellac?
Also called lac resin or confectioner’s glaze, shellac is harvested from insects in Southeast Asia. According to a 2024 Business Insider report, India is the world’s largest producer, exporting over $65 million annually of a global market worth nearly $170 million. The United States is the world’s largest importer, buying 25% of India’s supply.
One pound of shellac contains the resin from approximately 150,000 insects. Traditional farmers can collect that quantity in a day, but need two more days to scrape it manually off of tree branches. The extreme heat and floods of the climate crisis brings uncertainty to the harvest leading to major price fluctuations. Today, industrial production of shellac is replacing age-old methods.
The most common food use for shellac approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is as a shiny, water-and mold-resistant coating on a wide range of foods including:
- fruits and vegetables
- nuts
- coffee beans
- chocolate
- confections (for example, jelly beans or candy corn)
On citrus fruits and on vegetables such as cucumbers, bell peppers, or eggplant, this edible coating helps retain firmness, reduces shriveling, and increases shelf life. As a coating, shellac is typically mixed with either a plant- or petroleum-derived wax.
Other FDA-approved food uses for shellac, either as part of a mixture or alone, include:
Shellac is also used as a coating on some pharmaceuticals especially enteric or time release tablets or as a food dye. It must be labeled, usually as shellac or confection’’s glaze, when present although many other names for shellac are permissible as listed in our Guide to Vegan and Vegetarian Food Ingredients.
Shellac on Coffee Beans
In 2010 and 2011, The VRG reported that shellac was not commonly used on coffee beans. In this 2025 update, we surveyed close to 20 coffee companies, both major brands and small specialty businesses, to see if this is still true.
Based on email responses and phone conversations with most of the respondents, we report that, in general, the trend continues. Several did not provide clear responses as noted below.
The VRG also contacted a few Indian companies selling shellac in May 2025. We asked them if they knew of any companies coating coffee beans with shellac. Sumeet Agrawal of D. Manoharial (Shellac) Pvt. Ltd. wrote in an email that “…we don’t have any customers using shellac for that purpose.”
The VRG Investigation Process: Shellac
We identified the most popular coffee brands through a Google search and an informal survey. Using company website contact forms or emails, we asked one question in July and August 2025: Do any of your suppliers coat their coffee beans with shellac?
We asked the question in this way to ensure companies consider what happens to the coffee beans before arriving in the U.S. Although companies may not apply shellac once the coffee beans are stateside, international suppliers could have coated their coffee beans in their country of origin in order to make them more resistant to mold and moisture during transport.
Most of the companies responded directly to the question in a timely manner. If they did not, we called them. Here is a list of those coffee companies which told us by email or phone that their suppliers do not coat the coffee beans with shellac. They also pointed out that they do not apply shellac upon arrival:
- Folger’s
- Tim Horton’s
- Lavazza
- Keurig
- Peet’s Coffee
- Intelligentsia Coffee
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- Don Pablo Coffee
- Free Rein Coffee
- Bean Box
- Philly Fair Trade
The following brands did not clearly respond about their suppliers’ practices in their first email reply or phone call nor when we asked for clarification in a follow-up email:
- Maxwell House
- Starbuck’s
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Caribou Coffee
- Counter Culture Coffee
The following brands did not reply:
Equal Exchange spoke on behalf of all of their coffee cooperative partners and wrote to us in June 2025: “The beans we buy from small farmer cooperatives are shipped unroasted or ‘green’ and no shellac or any other coating is used. We roast the coffee at our roastery at our headquarters in Massachusetts and the flavored and non-organic coffee is roasted for us in a separate facility and no shellac is used in either facility.”
Maxwell House
We called in July 2025 and spoke for almost 40 minutes. The representative scoured her database using several different search terms, but did not locate any definitive statement about shellac. She was able to say they used “100% coffee beans.” She also asserted that “no additives” were used. Although both of these phrases suggest no shellac had been used, we cannot be absolutely sure without a definitive statement like other coffee companies provided.
When we asked if she could escalate our question to a R&D or QA department, supply chain manager, or supervisor, we were told there was no way of doing so.
If the company sends us more information, we can update this article.
Shellac in the European Union
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings reviewed the status of shellac as a food additive in 2024. The Panel recommended to the European Commission that shellac specifications such as permissible amounts allowable for food use be revised “…depending on the manufacturing process, chemical bleaching process and physical decolouring process, because they result in different impurities in shellac.” There have been several toxic chemicals, including the neurotoxin lead and likely carcinogen chloroform detected in shellac. The Panel states the toxins must be quantified for each manufacturing process before recommendations can be made about shellac for food use.
To the best of our knowledge, no comparable review of food grade shellac is underway in the U.S.
Is Shellac Kosher?
There is disagreement in the Jewish community about the kosher status of shellac. According to a 2023 article in the Let’s Talk Kashrus column reprinted on the website of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, shellac is considered kosher in the U.S.:
“…Shellac, which is a byproduct of the forbidden insect is treated differently than gelatin made from non-kosher bones or carmine made by crushing cochineal beetles. Gelatin and carmine are made from the actual forbidden item, and, therefore, their status is stricter than shellac, which is just a byproduct.”
Shellac and Coffee Beans Summary
Based on our research, The VRG can report that shellac is not used on the coffee beans of many of the companies surveyed for this article. Our August 2025 article on Folger’s Coffee details our communication with that company.
However, there could be a coffee company not included here which uses shellac. If you are thinking about purchasing coffee beans which appear to be especially glossy or glazed, we suggest you inquire about shellac before buying. If you see shellac labeled on a bag of coffee beans, please let us know at [email protected].
For more ingredient information, see https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
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The contents of this posting, our email, 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.
