Vegans to Starbucks: Give Us Our Pumpkin Spice

(Newser) - A Michigan vegan and Starbucks lover is facing what the Los Angeles Times calls a "first world food problem": It's getting to be autumn, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes are in the air-but they don't come in animal-product-free form. Now, Brent Caldwell-and more than 3,000 supporters-are taking action at Change.org. At Starbucks, "so many drinks can be made with vegan and dairy-free ingredients, which generally just means using soy milk instead of cows' milk," Caldwell writes in the petition. "Sadly, in the case of the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte, this does not hold true," and it's "a total bummer."

A Starbucks rep says the "Pumpkin Spice sauce mix" does contain condensed milk, but that the company "really welcome(s) customer feedback like this." For vegans who don't want to wait to see if the petition works, the rep suggests trying VIA Pumpkin Spice coffee, or "we also have our Pumpkin Spice Topping that you can finish the beverage with if a customer wanted to add that hint of fall."

But beware, vegans: The Consumerist reached out to Starbucks and found out that some other flavored sauces, including caramel and white chocolate, also include dairy. (Last year, vegans were upset about another non-vegan Starbucks ingredient: bugs.)

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