Fall is just around the corner and not only is there a new flavor of M&M’s to get you into the fall holiday spirit, but now Starbucks is adjusting one of their most popular items, the Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Jezebel reports that the Pumpkin Spice Latte will now include actual pumpkin and be rid of artificial caramel coloring and flavoring, according to a blog post by Peter Dukes, Starbucks’s Director of Espresso and Brewed Coffee Americas. Why this change? “After hearing from customers and partners about ingredients, we took another look at this beverage and why we created it so many years ago,” he explains. “It was simple – espresso, perfectly steamed milk, warm fall spices with delicious flavor of pumpkin pie that reminds you of the cool, crisp days of autumn.”
Dukes also gives the full ingredient list for the Pumpkin Spice Latte:
• Espresso
• Milk
• Pumpkin Spice Flavored Sauce (Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% or Less of Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto (Color), Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Salt)
• Whipped Cream (Light Whipping Cream [Cream, Mono and Diglycerides, Carrageenan])
• Starbucks Vanilla Syrup (Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Citric Acid) • Pumpkin Spice Topping (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove)
This change for healthier ingredients in foods is part of a pack of other restaurants and food companies that have decided to eradicate artificiality from their menu items. With this transformation of the pumpkin spice latte, there may be more people waiting in line for food and coffee than waiting for class!