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By The Chicago Rabbinical Council 

Starbucks shops serve many kosher and non-kosher items, with the most serious non-kosher items being hot meat sandwiches. The standard daily clean up at Starbucks includes a hot wash of all utensils and some parts of that washing are done without soap. This cleanup process challenges the kosher status of the otherwise kosher products and each product must be judged by a competent halachic authority.

When evaluating these issues, Rav Reiss shlita, Av Beis Din of the cRc, acknowledged that there is basis for being lenient on many of the items being sold at Starbucks stores, but directed the cRc to be true to the mission of a reliable Kashrus Agency which only recommends items that are free of all shailos and not those which are only acceptable b’dieved. He noted that this is especially true because there are viable alternatives in every Starbucks store.

One significant change in recent years is that almost all Starbucks stores – even smaller kiosks – serve hot non-kosher sandwiches and wash all utensils in shared sinks (and some also share sinks or dishwashers with nearby non-kosher stores). Accordingly, certain differences which used to apply to kiosks are no longer relevant.

To fully explain the details, questions, and shailos involved in this issue the cRc printed an analysis of the topic in the Spring 2011 edition of The Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society, and that article is available on the cRc website

The following list is accurate at this time for stores in the United States and Canada, and since the information is subject to change this list should not be used after July 31, 2024. [The list is limited to beverages and does not address foods sold in Starbucks, or toppings and other items added to beverages.] It is also worth noting that many items sold at Starbucks are dairy and chalav stam, and that many of the “flavors” are now certified as “DE” (dairy equipment).

Click here to download full list

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