The Kosher status of Starbucks has always been one of confusion, with a whole website literally dedicated to just that (KosherStarbucks.com).
Many vegans and Kosher observant consumers have been complaining for a while about the cochineal extract, which is derived from insects, that Starbucks uses to flavor their strawberry and other Frappuccinos.
Starbucks is aware that many people have been avoiding their strawberry-based and other Frap products for this reason, and rumors persist that they are looking into using lycopene, a vegan based extract, to flavor these products instead.
This is exciting news for Starbucks lovers everywhere, because if they do replace the cochineal extract with something vegan, the OU, who already certifies them, will reassess their Kosher status!
Source: Kosher Today
That would be nice. Starbucks would have a lot more customers if they made more kosher/vegan changes.
Keep us posted!
This is super exciting news!