New York – Kosher observers who pick up their coffee at Starbucks may need to look elsewhere for their caffeine fix.
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A kosher-certifying agency said it can no longer vouch for the kashrut of many beverages served by the coffee giant after announcing this week that it was ending its kosher information program, under which it deemed many Starbucks products permissible without actually certifying them as kosher.
Plenty of kosher consumers aren’t taking the news lying down: As of Thursday afternoon, more than 7,000 have signed a change.org petition calling to “Make Starbucks Kosher Again.”
Star-K for years has kept a list of the drinks prepared at Starbucks that kosher observers could imbibe. The stores were not under the certifying agency’s supervision, but Star-K regularly checked in with the company to determine which items were kosher. In recent years, even Frappachinos were considered OK for kosher observers.
But several years ago, Starbucks began selling sandwiches, including some made with bacon. That brought up kashrut issues, like whether the utensils used to make the coffee were washed with utensils that had been used with non-kosher items in the store.
The kosher information program targeted kashrut conundrums. And while Star-K has disbanded the program, it has posted a new list of Starbucks drinks that can be considered acceptable for kosher observers.
But the petition signers are looking for more.
Under the reasons for signing, one person wrote: “For a company that closed down all their stores for 8 hours for sensitivity training when people want to use their bathrooms without making a purchase they can at least show a little sensitivity to Orthodox Jews who would like to be paying customers!”
i really dont understand what the problem here is. who are you talking to here?
i drive home every monday on Jersey 17 and stop at Starbucks for a black coffee and i see many yingeleit buy coffee and they fill it with the milk supplied by starbucks which is not kosher,so those people will have NO problem with StarK removing its recommendations. Now someone like me who didnt know there is a problem with black coffee because its been washed with treifene dishes i will of course stop buying coffee and Klap Al Chyte for Machulis asiris.
Now for my family who always bought iced drinks and iced coffee we will have to Stop buying till starbucks will change its policy
When our comfort and luxury level in golus make sure us want to emulate the goyim so badly, such as needing designer coffee at $5 a cup, you can be sure Hashem deems it unkosher. Learn a lesson.
We never felt comfortable with the star-k kashrus standardsin any eatery, so we are satisfied that Starbucks dropped the Star-k.
All they have to do is close for a few days for kosher education
BTW- There is no cholov stam in the USA anymore, since the discovery of the Veterinary procedure cows which make them treif. There are between 4-8% of them in the herds across the country. Shishim is 1.6%, so all of the milk is cholov treif. The cholov Yisroel farms have those procedure cows removed.
To #1 When you are not there, with what do they wash the coffee urn? The same same thing as they do the dishes???????Then they rinse with a different shmattte and run clean boiling water through it. What is the rag? treif? Would you still have your cup of black coffee?
Starbucks is owned by a liberal Jew. Think he cares about us frum people?
Anyone know if this new ruling affects the expresso and the Americano espresso that’s an espresso with added hot water. I will leave the espresso machine never goes into the dishwasher.
I find it is sad that people can’t live without Starbucks, who cares if they are Kosher or not or what they use, bring your coffee from home., or drink it black what is the big deal. This sounds like the world will come to an end because Starbucks is not kosher or kosher. Please there are more things to worry about than that in life!