Starbucks is famous for its iconic fall flavors, like pumpkin spice and apple crisp, but some customers have taken the cozy autumn vibes to a whole new level.
Posts on TikTok reveal that people are bringing their own hollowed-out pumpkins to Starbucks, and baristas will actually fill them with their drinks.
The final concoctions are admittedly adorable, but what are the health implications of this trend? Here’s what experts said.
Pumpkin is quite nutritious. It’s low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins A and C, potassium, copper, and antioxidants, Sandra Zhang, MS, RDN, LDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and pediatric dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center, told Health.
However, experts doubt that you’ll actually get any nutritional benefits from this trend.
“If the inner flesh of the pumpkin is freshly cut and moist, small amounts of the pumpkin’s nutritional compounds … theoretically could leach into the beverage,” said Laura Acosta, DCN, RDN, LDN, an instructional associate professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida. “However, the magnitude of transfer would be minimal, so any nutritional ‘boost’ is unlikely to be meaningful.”
Plus, this trend brings a real safety risk, experts said.
Once you cut open a pumpkin, the moist interior becomes a “breeding ground for bacteria,” Lindsay Malone, MS, RDN, LD, clinical nutritionist and instructor in the Department of Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University, told Health.
“Carrying a cute pumpkin to your local Starbucks might sound like a blast,” added Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan. “But if that pumpkin was sitting out on your counter for a while, then you pour in hot coffee and sip it throughout the day, there is a high chance of introducing some health-hazardous pathogens into your body.”
In general, Zhang said raw pumpkin that is carefully cleaned and stored should be safe to eat. But Acosta pointed out that the inside of a pumpkin is porous and irregular, so properly cleaning and sanitizing a hollowed pumpkin would be difficult.
Moskovitz also noted that dirt or debris from the outside of the pumpkin can contaminate the drink, compounding safety concerns.
Experts say it’s safest to skip this trend. As Acosta put it, “This practice feels misguided at best (no real health benefit), and dangerous at worst.”
