What is it about artificial flavoring and caramel coloring that gets Americans so excited about the fall season? Is it the way the aroma complements the cool autumn air? Or the fact that bikini season is over and consuming oodles of added sugar feels more acceptable?

It all started in 2003, when Starbucks released the first Pumpkin Spice Latte and customers went crazy over the unusual java. At the time, the only common foods that contained pumpkin were eats such as pie and bread. Today, the distinctive flavor has been added to everything from dog treats to ravioli and doesn’t seem to be leaving the shelves anytime soon.

According to Forbes Magazine, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL as it has been affectionately nicknamed, has made Starbucks around $80 million in annual revenue since its release – that’s over 200 million beverages.

What’s even more concerning are the nutrition facts for the popular latte. According to Starbucks’ website, a grande has 310 calories, around 15 percent of your daily fat, and a whopping 50 grams of sugar.

Kantha Shelke, a food scientist for the Institute of Food Technologies, said in an article for The Washington Post that the concoction that gives the latte its signature pumpkin flavor is comprised of 340 different compounds. What you thought was some pumpkin and cinnamon stirred into a steamy brew is actually a myriad of chemicals that don’t really fit into the definition of “food.” 

In fact, until 2015, pumpkin was not even an ingredient in the PSL. Because of the slew of complaints Starbucks was receiving in regards to the lack of authenticity associated with a pumpkin-less Pumpkin Spice Latte, the company decided to include a small trace of the gourd in the drink. 

Shelke commented that the addition of pumpkin was virtually undetectable and was done only to “appease those who wanted to see real pumpkin on the list of ingredients.” Unfortunately, the fact that a vegetable was added to the list of ingredients does nothing for the PSL’s nutritional value.

If the health consequences aren’t enough to drive you away, maybe the supposed social injustice surrounding the drink will do the trick. A recent research article by a scholar at the University of British Columbia claims that pumpkins are a prejudiced symbol in America and that Pumpkin Spice Lattes are an example of white privilege.

Lisa Jordan Powell, the scholar responsible for the article, believes that because Pumpkin Spice Lattes cost more than regular coffee yet provide no additional nutritional value, they are a luxury item and a sign of social advantage.

In addition, over the past couple years the PSL has adopted a stereotype associated with the average white female that has led to the labeling of its consumers as “basic.” 

Powell’s overall point in the article is to prove that because so many basic white girls consume these overpriced, indulgent beverages on the regular, the PSL is a symbol of white privilege.

The way I see it, Starbucks will not suffer from Powell’s accusation because the incredibly questionable validity of this theory is not directed to have an influence on the latte’s main consumer – white females.

So while you are snuggled up with your purebred puppy and Pumpkin Spice Latte by your oversized fireplace composed of precious stones, keep in mind all of the hype and controversy infused in every sip.