Are pumpkin lattes gluten free?

Q1: Are pumpkin lattes gluten free?
By Shannon Carney, Certified Sports Nutritionist, A.M.F | 11.4.13 | 0
A: Pumpkin is popping up everywhere you look as we head into the
time of year when it seems the perfect flavor for the season.
And that means our attention and our taste buds are turning to
pumpkin spice lattes.
On the gluten-free diet, these aromatic drinks present challenges
because none of the three big national chains that brew the lattes will
say their concoctions are safe.
Starbucks, the category leader, has sold 200 million pumpkin lattes in
a decade. A company spokesperson said the drink does not contain
any ingredients intentionally made with gluten. However, she notes
that ingredients might be made on equipment that also processes
products that do contain gluten. In addition, Starbucks does not claim
any of its beverages are gluten free because the company uses shared
equipment and handles gluten in its stores.
Although the pumpkin spice sauce and pumpkin spice topping are not
made with gluten-containing ingredients, they are not certified
gluten free, according to the spokesperson. “It is our company policy
to go out for third party certification should we wish to claim glutenfree on any of our products,” she said.
Starbucks has taken this position
for a few years now, after a shortlived period of trying to meet
gluten-free needs, most notably by
introducing and quickly pulling a
gluten-free orange cake. I’ve
always found this turn-around and
Starbucks’ statements confusing.
In other countries, the company is
much better at serving its glutenfree customers. In the United
Kingdom, for example, you can
find gluten-free sandwiches in the
refrigerator case.
But what to do about the latte? Some gluten-free consumers ask
the barista to clean out the containers used to make the drink and feel
safer about the cross-contamination issues. Others would never give in
to the latte urge no matter how strong it gets as fall settles in. It can
be a matter of concern about some gluten content or a philosophical
stand against a policy that’s gluten insensitive – or both.
McDonald’s started stirring its spoon in the pumpkin latte
business this year, too. But getting an answer about its
gluten-free status is not easy. The company did not
respond to Gluten Free Living’s request for information
(resource Gluten Free Living).
While McDonald’s no longer has a list of gluten-free
menu items, it does put ingredients and major allergens,
including wheat, on its website. The pumpkin latte is made with milk,
espresso and pumpkin spice flavored syrup. It does not contain wheat
and none of the ingredients appear to come from gluten sources.
Caramel color is used in the syrup, but it is most often made from corn
because ingredient makers say corn results in the best product. The
syrup also contains natural and artificial flavors. Our research has
shown that flavors usually don’t contain gluten, but barley is
sometimes used. Typically it’s labeled as malt flavoring, malt extract
or barley malt extract and is easy to find, but it is possible a flavor can
contain barley and not say so.
You’ll also find a pumpkin spice latte at Dunkin’ Donuts. It does not
contain ingredients made from wheat or barley, according to Michelle
King, director of global public relations. She says that many Dunkin’
Donuts drinks are made without gluten, but cross-contamination both
in the restaurant and at production facilities is possible. As a result the
company does not guarantee that any beverage is gluten free, King
says. (As a side note, Dunkin’ Donuts recently introduced several
gluten-free bakery items nationwide. They are made in a dedicated
gluten-free facility and sold individually packaged to prevent crosscontamination in stores.)
The bottom line is that you won’t get a gluten-free guarantee from
these three nationwide chains regarding the pumpkin latte. Crosscontamination seems to be the biggest issue, with both Starbucks and
Dunkin’ Donuts saying none of the ingredients are made from gluten
and it’s likely, though not guaranteed, the same is true of McDonald’s.
Try this coffee drink that’s guaranteed to warm your soul
and flatten your belly –
Vanilla Iced Coffee
— DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN,
BREAKFAST, DRINK
Ingredients
200ml strong organic black coffee
200ml milk of your choice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp acacia honey
ICE
This recipe can be made with whatever milk you prefer –
I like the
NEW ESPRESSO almond milk or COCONUT CREAMER
It is important the coffee is very STRONG or it will come
out very weak and milky. Allow the coffee to chill in the
freezer for about 15 minutes for the BEST results.
If you have a cocktail shaker that’s ideal but a MASON
JAR works just as well. Pour the coffee over a good
handful of ice cubes and add the milk, vanilla extract and
the honey. Shake intensely for at least 30 seconds and ENJOY!!
You can store the
coffee in the fridge
for a day or two
but make
sure to
remove
the ice
cubes or
they
dilute the
coffee.
Q2: Is there gluten in either scotch or
bourbon?
A: Both of these alcoholic beverages are distilled. While there may be
a lack of consensus in the celiac community, the scientific community
is in total agreement that distillation effectively removes gluten
peptides.
That means the resulting product would be gluten free unless
something that contains gluten was added after distillation, which
would be unusual in alcoholic beverages.