Starbucks Strawberry funnel cake Frappuccino

Kashrut Starbucks
1

Kosher?

Ice, Milk, Coffee Frappuccino Syrup [Sugar, Water, Natural Flavor, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid], Whipped Cream [Cream (Cream, Mono And Diglycerides, Carageenan), Vanilla Syrup (Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid)], Coffee, Strawberry Puree Sauce [Strawberry Puree, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Water, Fruit And Vegetable Juice For Color, Natural Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid], Funnel Cake Syrup [Sugar, Water, Natural Flavors, Preservative Potassium Sorbate, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid], Powdered Sugar Funnel Cake Pieces [Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugars (Sugar, Powdered Sugar (Sugar, Corn Starch)), Palm Oil, Water, Natural Flavor, Salt]

2

Not kosher

3

As someone who gets a lot of Starbucks, what is in there that makes it not kosher?

4

The grape juice may be a problem

5

Wouldn’t it be battul?

6

Not batel, It’s the second ingredient.

7

it’s the second ingredient in the “Strawberry Puree Sauce” which is the 7th ingredient in the actual drink. the actual drink is surely less than 1/6 grape juice (and maybe even less than 1/60…)

8

The strawberry puree is not mixed into the rest of the drink so it’s not the 7th ingredient. It is the 2nd ingredient of the puree which you can clearly see in this picture.

Screenshot_20210629-163634~2
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9

Isn’t all commercially produced grape juice mevushal?

10

They are all pasteurized at some point in the process but that won’t make it kosher. The pasteurization would have to take place before anyone touches it. Each company needs to be verified before assuming no one touches before pasteurization.

11

I thought the issue was pouring the wine or grape juice, but moving it from place to place would not render it an issue?

12

We didn’t say moving would be problematic. We said TOUCHING would be a problem. And yes, in many plants they do touch the juice before pasteurization.

13

I also verified that it is not physically touched by humans during the entire process from before crushing until after both pasteurizations (it is pasteurized twice).

14

How did you verify? Have you been to the plant? Which plant?

What people consider “not touching” may very well be considered touching according to Halacha. Merely asking a manufacturer is anyone touches the grape juice does not suffice.

15

FYI I contacted Starbucks and Pepsico and they verified that the white grape juice concentrate is 12.5% of the total amount of puree, thus making it batel b’sheish.

16

Do you have it in writing from that? Can you share with us?

17

I asked a customer service rep by chat. He spent a lot of time verifying the information but I do not know the source. He explained to me in detail how the process works, that it is completely automated from the beginning - even before the grapes are crushed - and no humans come into contact even after pasteurization, as it is fully automated. I am not sure where it is made but my relative who works for Pepsico verified to me that in general, the juice making process is completely automated and no human touches the juice during the entire process and it would be completely against protocol to do so because it is unsanitary for anyone to physically touch the juice. It seems there would be an umdena that this is maga al yidei davar acher shelo bikavana which I assume according to HaRav Abadi Shlit’a would not be considered stam yeinum before it becomes mevushal (I think I have the reasoning right but please correct me if I am wrong.)

The 12.5% percentage was also told to me via chat after research. They said they would email me the information and I will send the email text when I get it.

18

This information isn’t enough. In many plants they actually take out some of the juices at different stages to test it for different reasons, for example, to taste it.

A simple chat with a customer service rep is not enough to verify that no human EVER touches it or scoops out some of the juice to test or taste.

Here’s a picture from Welch’s grape juice plant.

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19

In the example here of the Welch’s plant, wouldn’t the small amount of grape juice sampled by hand be batul the rest of the juice in the vat? Or does one non-jew removing a small sample like that ruin the whole batch?

20

If a non Jewish scoops out from the vat the entire vat is assur unless the juice was mevushal beforehand.

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