Say What?! + What's In Your Pumpkin Spice Latte?
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Okay, so who doesn't love the smell of pumpkin? There's something about Fall, warm sweaters, boots, and a hot latte, that I just can't get enough of. But, when it comes to Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I would definitely skip the Starbucks line.
It's kinda crazy that a company that claims to be so transparent, just started posting their ingredients online. After much pressure from consumers, they finally added the ingredient list for their drinks. Trust me, you aren't going to like it!
So instead of using any type of real pumpkin, they use- (Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% Or Less Of Fruit And Vegetable Juice For Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto, Salt, Potassium Sorbate) and call it their Pumpkin Spice Sauce.
They also use milk from cows that have been fed GMO corn, soy, and or cottonseed. Even though over a hundred thousand customers are demanding it, Starbucks refuses to serve organic milk (at all locations). Their milk still comes from cows that are fed genetically modified feed all day long – which is really supporting Monsanto and the biotech companies. If they made the switch to organic milk, or even offered it for that matter, it would ensure that it didn’t come from cows grazing on GMO grains or injected with antibiotics. Even their soy milk contains Carrageenan stabilizer, which is linked to intestinal inflammation and cancer.
Talk about a load of sugar! A "Grande" has over 50 grams! If you follow this blog, you already know to steer clear of natural flavors, they can be made from anything on earth. Bugs, animals organs, you name it. Artificial flavors can be made from many substances as well, including petroleum.
Preservatives and sulfites can cause severe allergic reactions or asthma attacks, and is linked to DNA damage. The non-organic coffee beans may contain possible pesticide residue too. Non-organic coffee is considered one of the heaviest chemically treated crops in the world, especially when it’s imported from developing nations that allow pesticides that are restricted in the U.S. due to health concerns.
Here's the full list.
Ingredients
Milk, Pumpkin Spice Sauce [Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% Or Less Of Fruit And Vegetable Juice For Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto, Salt, Potassium Sorbate], Brewed Espresso, Whipped Cream [Cream (Cream, Milk, Mono And Diglycerides, Carrageenan), Vanilla Syrup (Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid)], Pumpkin Spice Topping [Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove, Sulfiting Agents].
Soy Option
Starbucks Organic Soy Milk (plain): Filtered Water, Organic Whole Soybeans, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Calcium Carbonate, Organic Vanilla Flavor, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B12, Zinc Gluconate.
Starbucks Organic Soy Milk (vanilla): Filtered Water, Organic Whole Soybeans, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Calcium Carbonate, Natural Vanilla Flavors, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B12.
Ditch the Starbucks and check out this healthy version, from Mama Natural. And 100 Days of Real Food has a few quick and easy alternative recipes – see graphic below. Be sure to use organic coffee beans, this is one of my favorite choices.
Hopefully someday soon, we won't have to worry about toxic ingredients in our drinks. But until then, stay informed, and demand change. Remember, you always have the choice to opt out! You can also take a stand and let Starbucks know we don't want this crap in our latte's!
Call their customer service department at 1-800-782-7282 and ask them to remove these harmful additives and post all of their ingredients online.
Join GMO Inside and sign the petition asking them to serve organic milk at all locations.
Share this blog post. The more people that know the truth, the sooner Starbucks will be forced to make a change.
xoxo Christina