It happens every year: Sometime between the back to school promotions and the Halloween push, ordinary products suddenly become infused with pumpkin spice. The selection of pumpkin spice items becomes more varied — and let’s say…creative — every fall. During a recent CVS run I spotted pumpkin-flavored cough drops, chewing gum and sparkling water. Curious to see what other ubiquitous pumpkin products were out there, I put my eight year old on the case. She pointed out a variety of pumpkin spice items including: cookies, cereal, marshmallows, tortilla chips, bagels, peanut butter, cream cheese, protein powder, fettuccini, almonds and body wash.
At Trader Joe’s, the amount of pumpkin products has steadily increased since the grocery chain began offering them in the mid-1990s, according to a company spokesperson. This year, T.J.'s shelves will be stocked with more than 70 pumpkin items, up from around 60 items in 2015.