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Pumpkin Latte-Crazed Vegans Petition Starbucks

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Photo: Starbucks / Facebook
Hillary Dixler Canavan is Eater's restaurant editor and the author of the publication's debut book, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes From the Authority on Where to Eat and Why It Matters (Abrams, September 2023). Her work focuses on dining trends and the people changing the industry — and scouting the next hot restaurant you need to try on Eater's annual Best New Restaurant list.

Now that it's officially pumpkin-spiced everything season, a group of vegan latte lovers are throwing a fit because the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is (still) not vegan. A petition on Change.org started by Michigan resident Brent Caldwell with over 1,700 signatures points out that even when ordered with soy milk, the Fall-themed drink contains condensed milk "which is a total bummer." Championing the concerns of both the vegan and the lactose intolerant, Caldwell writes "nothing about 'pumpkin' or 'spice' has to come from an animal." Consumerist reports that the white chocolate and caramel flavored sauces also contain dairy.

This isn't the first time Starbucks has incurred vegan wrath. Last year, vegans petitioned the coffee giant to stop using food dye made from crushed beetles and Starbucks ultimately stopped using it. For now, Starbucks representatives tell Consumerist that Starbucks VIA Pumpkin Spice instant coffee is dairy-free.

· Starbucks: Please Make The Pumpkin Spice Latte VeganL [Change.org]
· Attention, Vegans: Yes, The Pumpkin Spice Latte Contains Dairy [Consumerist]
· All Vegan Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Starbucks Coverage on Eater [-E-]