Gluten Free is Life

The time of year has come when Starbucks is once again making the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Due to Starbucks making changes earlier this year to their Frappuccinos, I thought it would be in my best interest to email them to verify the gluten-free status of the lattes/syrups, etc. I am not at all pleased with the response that I got.

Hello Kimberly,

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Starbucks is unable to guarantee a “gluten-free” environment in our retail locations due to the potential for cross contamination with gluten-containing products. The open environment and operating procedures of our store locations may present additional risk for gluten-sensitive customers aside from the gluten-containing ingredients themselves. “Gluten-free” is a claim with specific requirements defined by government agencies and industry standards. We are unable to make this claim on a product unless the item is specifically formulated and manufactured to meet the definition of the claim.

We do offer some packaged food items that meet gluten-free requirements including Kind Bars, Lucy’s Cookies, Peeled Snacks, Two Mom’s Raw Granola and Food Should Taste Good Chips. Please note that product assortment varies from location to location, and our packaged food offerings may change from season to season. If a packaged food item qualifies as gluten-free, it will be indicated on the label.

If you have any further questions or concerns that I was unable to address, please feel free to let me know.

Warm Regards,

Allison T.
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company
800 23-LATTE (235-2883)
Monday through Friday, 5AM to 8PM (PST)

 

 

 

While I appreciate the honesty, I am saddened that I can’t have my beloved latte.  They don’t come right out & say that the pumpkin spice syrup has gluten in it, but they won’t say that it doesn’t either. I do appreciate the other gluten-free snacks that they are now offering, but in all honesty, their plain coffee is not good enough to entice me into the store to buy it or the snacks.

So long Pumpkin Spice Latte, so long. Perhaps I can save all the money I would have spent on my PSLs and put it towards something fun – like a new pair of jeans or pedicure!