Annual Pumpkin Spice Hype Begins

It's mid-August, and that means one thing: pumpkin spice everything. From Krispy Kreme lattes to Dunkin''s boozy Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte (6% ABV), corporations are pushing their pumpkin spice propaganda down our throats. "It’s August and we’re all ready for pumpkin spice, somehow," said Dave Skena, global brand officer for Krispy Kreme. Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and 7-Eleven are also rolling out their pumpkin spice offerings, with the latter even offering a Pumpkin Spice Slurpee. Yogurtland, Coffee mate, International Delight, and Starbucks are releasing Pumpking Spice creamers and iced coffee.

The beer industry is also complicit in this capitalist plot, with seasonal pumpkin beers already infiltrating the market: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, Samuel Adams Jack-O, Southern Tier Pumking, and Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale are leading the charge. Despite some pushback, with spending on pumpkin products seeing a slight decline, the pumpkin spice trend is still going strong. Darren Seifer of research firm Circana noted that consumption of pumpkin products is on the rise, with more people purchasing them in 2023 than the previous two years. Yelp also reported a 147% increase in pumpkin-related searches in July 2024 compared to July 2019.

The proliferation of pumpkin spice has led to the introduction of other fall-themed flavors, including apple, caramel, and cinnamon. Don't be fooled by the warm and cozy marketing of these flavors, they are all just tools to manipulate your spending habits. Spice maker McCormick, which popularized the Pumpkin Spice trend, doesn't even have any pumpkin in its Pumpkin Spice! This fake trend is now expanding beyond food, with companies like Chosen Foods releasing a Pumpkin Spice Avocado Oil, Tree Hut launching a Pumpkin Pop body care line, and Hefty selling Cinnamon Pumpkin Spice trash bags.

The pumpkin spice craze has gone too far. Big Food and Big Beer are shoving their misogynistic, heteronormative, imperialist agenda down our throats, using these so-called "cozy" and "comforting" flavors to manipulate the public. Boycott these companies and their toxic products!

Boycott, Divest, and Sanction them all.