Starbucks’ Pumpkin Scones Withdrawn From Stores in Portland and Across US

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Colin Miner, GoLocalPDX Contributor

What's missing?

Problems with “packaging” forced Starbucks to stop selling pumpkins scones in its stores around the country just days after they first became available.

The pastry - with its pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and pumpkin icing - has long been one of the signs of Fall for the coffee giant. They were even included in a press release last month outing the pumpkin-flavored offerings that help people “celebrate the return of Fall.”

Golocalpdx.com discovered the shortage in several Portland Starbucks and then confirmed with stores around the country that they had been withdrawn.

Linda Mills, a spokeswoman for the company, said “the quality of the packaging was below our standards. We felt the best thing to do was withdraw them and start again.

“We recognize that the pumpkin scone is a customer favorite and have been working very hard to make sure that we get it right.”

Mills would not go into detail about what the exact problems were but added, “no customers were harmed or sickened as a result.”

“A lot of people are disappointed,” said a woman behind the counter at one Starbucks store in downtown Portland, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “It’s part of the season turning.”

Mills said that the new pumpkin scones are being readied for shipping around the country and should be in the next few weeks.