The Disturbing Item A Redditor Allegedly Found In A Starbucks Protein Box
From frappuccinos to lattes and everything in between, Starbucks has a vast drink menu with at least 87,000 possible drink combinations, according to Insider. But while Starbucks is clearly most known for its drinks, it has a pretty decent food offering as well. Among the most popular Starbucks food items, you'll find sous vide egg bites; turkey and pesto panini; bacon, Gouda, and egg sandwich; double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich; and even oatmeal (via Insider).
There are few surprises more unpleasant than finding something in your food that isn't supposed to be there, such as a hair or, even worse, a bug. According to the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), manufacturers of food items are allowed to have certain amounts of mold, insect fragments, rodent waste, hair, and more in their finished products — yuck!
What this person found in their Starbucks protein box is arguably way worse than hair.
They reportedly found a piece of chewed-up gum
One Redditor shared a photo of their cheese and fruit protein box from Starbucks with the caption "Never seen anything like this before[.] Found chewed gum sealed in a protein box. This isn't a joke." Their photo shows chewed gum wrapped in a bit of plastic, allegedly. It's uncertain what the item actually is, but it clearly isn't supposed to be in the protein box. Several commenters chimed in with their thoughts.
"I've had so many issues with pastry quality control at my store, stuff smashed inside the boxes, or weird deformed stuff, or a coffee cake with no actual cake. This is a whole entirely new level," one Redditor wrote. Another person commented that they've avoided protein boxes entirely due to the same issue, writing, "They [protein boxes] aren't sealed well so I've seen flies or other bugs inside and other gross issues with them."
Another user noticed complaints about Starbucks' food have been frequent as of late, writing, "[W]tf us [sic] going on with starbucks' food quality recently?? [I]'ve seen at least two posts ab[ou]t something gross in the food." Others didn't think it was fair to Starbucks employees, commenting, "Baristas have to make complicated, impeccable[,] perfect to standard drinks but the factory can turn out this???"
Starbucks has not addressed the issue as of yet, but here are a few more things that Starbucks doesn't want you to know about its food.