Starbucks Confuses Dairy-Free Customers with AlmondMilk and CoconutMilk Offerings
In days past, dairy-free milk beverages were typically used in dairy-free food and beverage options. But Starbucks is crossing boundaries by commingling its almondmilk and coconutmilk with dairy-rich ingredients. And their beverage names are confusing not only consumers, but reporters, too! Just this week, headlines like “Starbucks Just Made it Really Easy to Get Your Non-Dairy Horchata Fix” debuted. But “easy” is far from the truth.
If you order Starbuck’s new Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino® or the Crème version in the hopes of enjoying a non-dairy chiller, make sure you also ask for no Whipped Cream, no Caramel Sauce, AND no Cinnamon Dolce Topping. And don’t even think about ordering the Iced Coconutmilk Mocha Macchiato if you’re dairy free, even though the Iced Cascara Coconutmilk Latte appears to be non-dairy. Over the years, we have applauded Starbuck’s expansion of offerings for dairy-free and vegan consumers. However, their gradually more confusing menu raises concerns.
Australia Expands Options in Management of Milk Allergy for Infants and Kids
The Australian guidelines for the management of cow’s milk allergy in infants and children have expanded to include rice protein-based formula. For infants up to 1 year of age, there are also acceptable guidelines for soy protein formula, extensively hydrolysed formula, and amino acid based formula. For children over 1 year of age, soy milk and enriched rice, oat, and nut milks are discussed as suitable options.
They also clarify that cow’s milk derived formula, goat’s milk formula, sheep milk formula, partially hydrolysed formula (commonly labelled HA), A2 milk and lactose free formula are not suitable for people with cow’s milk allergy.
The exact recommendations from the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) with further details can be found here and more specifically here.