A countless amount of coffee addicts and Starbucks fans were delighted to hear that the franchise’s famous seasonal drinks were being sold early this year. Among these seasonally flavored beverages, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is a fan favorite and can be described as “fall in a cup”. Being Starbuck’s most popular seasonal drink, people were skeptical of how the latte could possibly be so delectable. When researching the ingredients for the coffee, many were shocked to find out that Pumpkin Spice Latte actually doesn’t contain any pumpkin at all. Instead of using real pumpkin in their drinks, Starbucks has been using a Pumpkin Spice flavored sauce made of ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and preservatives. A great deal of Starbucks fans are disappointed with the discovery of the ingredients inside the beloved drink.

“I was so excited to get my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season the other day until I heard about the ingredients being put inside of it. It’s common for a franchise like Starbucks to be using preservatives but I can’t believe the drink contains no pumpkin at all.” said Sophomore Jordyn Maddison.

To make matters worse, the drink contains Class IV Caramel Color. This ingredient is used in the Pumpkin Spice flavored sauce making the drink look appealing to customers by creating a creamy light brown color. This laboratory made substance is produced by mixing corn sugar with ammonia and sulfites. Mixing these ingredients together under high pressures and temperatures creates a toxic substance, 4-methylimidazole (4-Mel). This substance can be considered as a carcinogen to humans and has no nutritional value.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is also a controversial issue for vegans. To avoid drinking dairy, vegans substitute the normal milk for soymilk. What vegans don’t know is that the Pumpkin Spice flavored sauce already contains a form of nonfat milk, making the drink non-vegan.

These ingredients in the Pumpkin Spice Latte raise questions regarding the ingredients in the other Starbucks drinks. While some people are starting to steer clear from drinking Starbucks coffee, many fanatics are unfazed by these new discoveries.

“Even though everyone is hating on Starbucks right now, I feel like everyone will forget about this in a couple of weeks. It’s hard to find a large food franchise that doesn’t use artificial ingredients these days. It’s okay to drink these coffees in moderation, but too much of them is bad for you. I’m sure this will all blow over soon. Hopefully Starbucks will realize the discontent of customers and change their ingredients,” said Starbucks enthusiast Corri Gonzales, 10.

FSA Connection:

1. What main idea does the author offer?
2. What are some statements that the author uses to back up their main idea?
3. According to the article, what does carcinogen mean?
4. Looking back at the article, what ingredient is considered a carcinogen?
5. Select one sentence that best summarizes the article.