What's in Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte might surprise you
Tis the season for everything pumpkin, from pumpkin flavored coffees to pumpkin donuts and pastries, but not all pumpkin treats are equal, especially when it comes to their good-for-you quota. The round orange fruit of course is very healthy for you, but that can’t be said for everything that bears its name.
Tis the season for everything pumpkin, from pumpkin flavored coffees to pumpkin donuts and pastries, but not all pumpkin treats are equal, especially when it comes to their good-for-you quota. The round orange fruit of course is very healthy for you, but that can't be said for everything that bears its name.
Food Babe's Vani Hari recently investigated Starbuck's popular drink, Pumpkin Spice Latte and found that not only was the company not completely transparent with their ingredients, but some of what is in the latte will really surprise you.
When Hari first reached out to Starbucks for a complete list of ingredients for this drink, they emailed back that it is made of "pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors combined with espresso and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice."
After more prodding, the coffee giant still refused to elaborate in more detail and pointed Hari to their list on Starbucks.com. The site, however, does not list the ingredients for their drinks, not even those for children, which brings up the concern of food allergies. Their online catalog does provide you the ingredients of individual components of your drink like pumpkin sauce, but it is difficult, according to Hari to get a full picture of what is in your drink. Finally after going through many different channels she got a complete list of ingredients from a PR person at Starbucks, but there was still some disagreement whether high fructose syrup or sweetened condensed milk was used in the latte.
Here are the ingredients that Hari finally uncovered:
Espresso (water, brewed espresso coffee)
Pumpkin Spice flavored sauce (sugar, condensed nonfat milk, high fructose syrup or sweetened condensed nonfat milk, Annatto for color, Caramel Color (class IV), salt and other natural and artificial flavors and preservatives
Whip Cream (whipping cream, Starbucks Vanilla Syrup which as more of Caramel color Class IV as well as sugar and natural flavors)
Pumpkin Spice Topping (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and sulfites)
Milk options ("Monsanto milk" or organic soy milk)
The most concerning components of this drink are of course the possibility of high fructose syrup and the two doses of Class IV Caramel coloring which has been linked to lung cancer and leukemia. This type of coloring is currently under review by the FDA. Also, what about the fact that there is no real pumpkin anywhere in this "pumpkin" spice latte?
The milk you add to your latte is also problematic. Starbucks is still serving "Monsanto Milk" which comes from cows fed genetically modified feed instead of organic milk, and your other option, soy milk, has carrageenan which has been linked to gastrointestinal problems and cancer. Vegans also need to be aware that even if they choose a soy milk version of the latte they are still drinking dairy because of the condensed nonfat milk in the pumpkin spice flavored sauce.
Don't let this ruin your fall though; try a more natural pumpkin treat like Mama Natural's homemade pumpkin spice latte with real pumpkin.
Why did it take deep sleuthing to get the truth from Starbucks? All of us should always be able to have easy access to the truth about our food and drinks. Hari is encouraging her readers to complain to Starbucks on facebook or twitter or call their customer service department at 1-800-782-7282. You can also sign a petition for organic milk to be served at all locations.
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