The Pumpkin Spice Latte has become a fan favorite among Starbucks customers, but some customers are petitioning to have Starbucks remove dairy from its most popular cold-weather drink.
Vegans are taking to Change.org to petition the use of condensed milk in the drink. The petition is asking for a diary-free version of the drink and has already collected over 1,500 supporters.
According to FOX News, the reason behind the petition is that the syrup used to flavor the drinks contain condensed milk, which is processed milk. While the syrup formula has not change and some customers say they feel betrayed because there is no information about dairy contained in the drink.
"Many people are shocked to hear that the mix contains condensed milk because there's no way anyone would be able to tell walking into a store and placing an order," the petition reads. "Employees don't even realize it has milk in it!"
According to the Huffington Post, a call to a Starbucks hotline representative confirmed that the pumpkin spice mix used to make the drink contains milk and the latte cannot be customized to be dairy-free or vegan.
"Starbucks should service all its customers, including vegan and people with dairy allergies," wrote one person on the petition page.
A spokesman offered an alternative the Starbucks VIA Pumpkin Spice instant coffee flavor, which can be brewed with soy milk. Other topping syrups like white chocolate and caramel also contain dairy.
If customers are in doubt, the best thing to do is ask a barista for a list of ingredients.
This is not the first time the fast food franchise has run into some trouble over their ingredients. Last year, the chain was blasted for using cochineal extracts, an insect-based red dye, to color some of their offerings. Starbucks later ditched the dye for tomato-based ingredients called lycopene.
