I found a page on Reddit for Starbucks employees, so I asked a question about what (if any) training they received on cross contamination and allergies knowing they would be able to answer anonymously.  Those who answered the training question said they received minimal, if any training (one mentioned a 45 second video).  It was almost universal advice to avoid any hot and blended drinks.  They talked about having to chip milk out of the wands when they cleaned them 

If you want the link to read the full conversation, here it is
https://www.reddit.com/r/starbucks/comments/55f2bj/allergy_training_and_almondmilk/?ref=share&ref_source=link

Hold up. Starbucks is actually peanut safe now (at least the drinks)? Last I had heard there was some syrup XC at the manufacturer, even with the hot chocolate. If I'm not TNA I could get hot chocolate? 

Some stores do non-dairy on a separate wand from dairy.  Of course, that means, coconut, soy, and almond would all share a wand.  That's not a corporate decision, it's a partner decision.  I will say that I have far fewer soy reactions at Starbucks since they switched machines several years ago.  The La Marzocco machines delivered a superior product, but were way more dangerous for me as they'd actually suck up some of the milk and formed a nasty crust inside the nozzle. 

I do drink Starbucks.  But I let them know of my allergy and ask for a *clean and fresh* rag, fresh spoon, and fresh pitcher.  If it's a rush, I get something that the cashier can obtain for me (drip) or something without any steaming involved.  If I see a lot of sloshing and spilled milk behind the bar, I leave.

I had a nasty reaction (soy) at a Starbucks years ago.  But it's certainly a risk.  It's less of a risk for me than some other places (Caribou is flat out), but more than eating at home.  And I think we all need to make the choice for ourselves, for sure.   

Saw a sign that they now have Almond Milk at my local Starbucks today. No sign alerting allergic customers of X-contam, so if they didn't see the Almond milk sign, they'd never know. 

DS loves Stbx. I will text him the response here, because I less they always use Blue Diamond (unlikely) it would be a risk now. Ick.

Aside from the almond milk, we've always considered Starbucks a no-go due to high risk of Xcontam with all the nut containing eats in the food case.  I hardly ever see an employee wash hands . . . shudder.

They announced the rollout today. I noticed they were responding to comments so I asked about precautions for cross contamination. This was their response

Hi, ******. Yes, almondmilk and coconutmilk are steamed in a separate steaming pitcher from soymilk and dairy. All Starbucks store partners (employees) receive allergen training which includes resources on the top eight allergens and helps partners to recognize the symptoms of anaphylactic reactions. While we take precautions to keep ingredients separate, we cannot guarantee that any of our beverages and foods are allergen free as we use shared equipment to store, prepare and serve them.

I was told recently that nut milks were okay because they had no protein in them. 

She knows this because her chiropractor told her that her son has nut allergies. 

I told her my board certified allergist said we should avoid. 

Quote from: nameless on August 13, 2016, 03:51:27 PM
How scary is this comment on the CNBC article?


I have tree nut allergies, but I choose not to let it control my life. I do ask all the appropriate questions whenever I go to any food establishment. Of course, this might not be an absolute guarantee that nothing will go wrong. I choose to be proactive and carry my Epi-Pen everywhere I go. I know the symptoms of food allergy, and would call 911 right after using the Epi-Pen. I think I would do OK if I got the almond milk by mistake. The concern would be if someone doesn't know they're allergic till they have a reaction. Some allergies don't show up until well into adulthood.


I for one, don't think a Starbucks beverage is worth risking my life over. That isn't "letting it control (your) life" --- it's called being smart.  Starbucks is full of drips and splashes everywhere.

So what about Natalie Georgi who had no symptoms until it was too late for an epi. Getting an accidental splash of almond milk may not be obvious until it's too late.

How scary is this comment on the CNBC article?


I have tree nut allergies, but I choose not to let it control my life. I do ask all the appropriate questions whenever I go to any food establishment. Of course, this might not be an absolute guarantee that nothing will go wrong. I choose to be proactive and carry my Epi-Pen everywhere I go. I know the symptoms of food allergy, and would call 911 right after using the Epi-Pen. I think I would do OK if I got the almond milk by mistake. The concern would be if someone doesn't know they're allergic till they have a reaction. Some allergies don't show up until well into adulthood.


I for one, don't think a Starbucks beverage is worth risking my life over. That isn't "letting it control (your) life" --- it's called being smart.  Starbucks is full of drips and splashes everywhere.

My tweet:

@starbucks buh-bye on Sept 6th due to almond allergy - behind your counters is a cross-x nightmare with drips/splashes; @ServSafe #notreally


Good reporting by CNBC
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/11/starbucks-almond-milk-may-be-a-win-lose-combo-for-the-coffee-chain.html

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2016/08/12/starbucks-gives-in-to-customer-demands/88559578/

Good idea, nameless.  I'm not on Twitter, but a Twitter campaign might be in order.

A Twitter post  might get a better response. I'll compose something and tweet the complaint.

Their response:

Hi Amy,

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

I appreciate you for reaching out to us about your questions and concerns about the effects of cross contamination when beverages are prepared. Please know that\we cannot guarantee that any of our products are free from allergens (including dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, wheat and others) as we use shared equipment to store, prepare and serve them. Therefore, I would advise customers with severe nut allergies to heed this information because we definitely don't want our customers to get sick or have an allergic reaction.

In the meantime, the ingredients in our Almond milk is as follows: (filtered water, almonds), Sugar, Tricalcium Phosphate, Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol).

If there is anything else we can assist your with, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Natashja S.
customer service



     
     






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