Posted on 06/16/2006 6:41:22 PM PDT by Liz
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp. may be next on the target list of a consumer-health group that this week sued the operator of the KFC fried chicken restaurant chain for frying foods in oils high in harmful trans fat.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said it is planning to campaign against the global cafe chain because of the increased risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer associated with high-calorie, high-fat products it sells. And the possibility of legal action against Starbucks, similar to the case it is taking against KFC owner Yum Brands Inc., has not been ruled out, said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "Regular consumers of Starbucks products could face Venti-sized health problems," Jacobson said, referring to Starbucks' use of the 'Venti' designation for 'large.'
The group is primarily funded by newsletter subscribers and individual donors. It has support in the campaign from the small IWW Starbucks Workers Union, which has members in three stores, all in New York. They would like Starbucks to list nutrition information -- which is currently available online and in store brochures -- on its menu boards. "Customers can ask for nutrition information, but when you're talking about a transparent business in a busy world, that's not enough," union organizer and Starbucks "barista" staff member Daniel Gross said in an interview. He said the company should use healthier shortenings without trans fat, and publicize its smallest size, "short," which is available but does not appear on the menu. Continued...
The union contends that Starbucks staff gain weight when they work at the chain. They are offered unlimited beverages and leftover pastries for free during their shifts.
A 20-ounce Venti banana mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream contains 720 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat, and a banana cream crunch bar weighs in at 630 calories and 25 grams of saturated fat. By comparison, a McDonald's Corp. Big Mac has 560 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.
A Starbucks spokesman said in a statement it is "actively researching" alternatives to high-fat products. The company said it plans to eliminate trans fat from
seasonal baked goods -- but not necessarily other products -- by this fall. "In our beverage ingredients, we have reformulated any component that contained significant artificial trans fat content," the spokesman said. Wendy's International Inc. and Panera Bread Co. have recently announced efforts to reduce or eliminate trans fats from their menus. Trans fat is an artery-clogging solid fat found in partially hydrogenated oils.
"Most people are taking the trans fat out of their foods because they raise the risk of heart disease and obesity," said Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU.
"There's a lot of pressure to do so, especially since the (KFC) lawsuit." Jacobson said Starbucks may have been spared the scrutiny fast-food chains received recently because of its health-conscious image. "People expect foods from Dunkin' Donuts to be unhealthy, but Starbucks has more of an upper middle class, healthy, hip, politically correct facade," Jacobson said. "But the food is just as harmful to your arteries." © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
The other point to emphasize about fat---is that some nutrients are soluble only in fat, in the digestive process---so if a diet is devoid of fat, one does not get the full nutrient value of even healthy foods one consumes.
The idea is to consume healthy fats. Excuse me while I go drink some olive oil (/sarc).
I usually add french vanilla tea to my coffee.
Caramel sounds DELISH!!!
I wouldn't eat that. You could turn into a communist.
I know you'll love the Hershey's product----it's still on the shelves---I suggest hoarding a few bottles, in case they discontinue it.
Thanks for the hint about adding French Vanilla Tea to coffee. I assue that's a tea powder you are adding?
BTW, have you tried Lipton Pear Vanilla tea bags? Good, I usually brew it, and add it to my regular iced tea.
Another GREAT product--- limited edition --- is the Snapple Pie beverage----I swear it's like drinking liquid apple pie and ice cream. You literally have to stalk the shelves to get a few bottles. One supermarket clerk told me she gets it by the case in a convenience store.
Yeah, I sometimes wonder if the lefties are putting in behavior modification additives to their ice cream.
Asteroid Impact, Same Sex Marriage, Massive gamma ray burst from an outside the solar system event, BSE nvCJD, SARS, Smallpox, Ebola ,Flu- (human, bird, swine, duck, chicken), Salmonella, Carbs, Fat, Protein, Terrorists, Anthrax, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Too little ozone, Too much ozone, Global warming, Global cooling, Global Warming Chaos, Pesticides, Deer ticks, Nerve gas, Dirty bombs, Haliburton, SUVs, Guns, Acid rain, Too much Rain, Too little Rain, Nuclear power, Non-nuclearpower, Nuclear war, Conventional war, Wind Turbines shredding endangered birds, Obesity, Starvation, BCS, The Yankees with A’Rod, NCAA Basketball Tournament Selections, Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes ,Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards, Akitas, green ketchup, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Pet spiders, Yard Sale Congestion, Red King Crabs, Shadow people, Cattle mutilations, Junk Science, Supersize fries, ”Our worst fears were confirmed”, steroids in baseball, microwave popcorn, HIV, Peak Oil, Cholesterol both LDL and HDL, second hand smoke, Google Telephone Searches, backyard nuclear reactor, Nitrogen pollution, Carbon Dioxide Reported at Record Levels, Dangerous' Curry Colourings Cataracts from computers, brain tumors from cell phones, fire ants, killer bees, killer tomatoes, killer clowns the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Terrell Owens and Ron Artest, Exploding cell phones, cryptococcus gattii, methylisothiazolinone (MIT), "holiday heart," , U.S. Teens Are Among the Worst at Math, picking your teeth in public"The Hamdog.", Plastic Wrap in a Microwave, mercury, perfluorooctanoic acid, Teflon, KFC frying oil, Starbucks high calorie coffee drinks…P> So much to worry about...
Man, you are a BIG help.......thanks for nothing.
Another thing about Starbucks (or so I've heard) is that they offer any employee who works over 20 hours a week to opt into their insurance plan. Seems that the founder came from a family whose father was seriously hurt and lacked insurance & he wants to ensure that his employees don't go through what his family did. But then again, why get caught up in things that matter when there are so many lawyers with so few chains to sue.
Attention, Institute for Science in the Public Interest:
Have you considered that perhaps I WANT to eat fettucine Alfredo, I WANT to eat greasy fries, I WANT top have the "abyss boy" sized popcorn at a movie theater, and that I WANT to drink Venti Mocha Frappucinos?
I WANT to the do these things, the American People want to do these things, and you have NO RIGHT to tell either myself OR the American People that we can't!
In other words....STFU already!!!!!!!!!
Just want to place the topic on the "worry list" so that it is properly noted as a major concern and worth worrying about. It saves time on the next thread about some other hideous threat to the people.
The wack libs are eating their own! Get popcorn and a comfy chair for the show!
The only problem with legally mandated disclosure is that it can be the think edge of the wedge, lawsuit wise. If they're legally reuired to state the data for handmade items, then CSPI just has to go in every day and buy a couple, take them home and test them, and when one is inevitably higher that the posted amound, they sue for deceptive advertising.
I do think disclosure in and of itself is a good thing, but only if they do something so the companies aren't jumping from the pan into the liability fire by posting it.
Buy Haagen-Dasz instead. I don't know what their politics are, but they can hardly be worse than BJ's, and they don't choose to make an issue of them, so as long as I'm getting the value I want for the money I spend, who cares?
My favorite restaurant gives their employees half-off all their meals. Result: Employees hang out there a lot even when they aren't working. Of course, when they only pay you $2.13 an hour plus tips, they may be eating there more out of necessity than desire. Most of their employees are college-aged.
However, I DID go to Starbucks. First off, let me say "DAMN!" I was amazed at how many people were there once I saw a) the prices, and b) the size of the "Venti" drinks. I'm sorry, but I can get something similar, and BIGGER at Quik Trip, for .99!
But, I wanted to buy something there... The bananna/coconut thing just didn't sound that good to me, so I got the White Chocolate Mocha Frappachino, with an espresso shot and whipped cream. Although I couldn't find nutritional info on the site for the espresso shot, the drink itself has about 580 calories, 19 grams of fat (13 of which are saturated fat), 70g of cholesterol, 400mg of sodium, and 91 grams of carbs! If this post ends abruptly, it's because I've had a heart attack or stroke.
Including tax, it works out to just a hair less than a penny a calorie! Including tax, it came out to $5.21! I've NEVER paid that much for a drink with no alcohol! But, I have to say that it was delicious, and if I wasn't such a cheap bastard, I'd like to get another one! Now!
But I would like to find a day where I include that with that Monster Thick Burger! Have you seen the numbers on those! I remember the outrage when Hardees and Carl's Junior released them:
"As many fast-food chains introduce healthier fare amid fears of being sued, Hardee's is serving up a hamburger with 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat.
St. Louis-based Hardee's Food Systems Inc. on Monday rolled out its Monster Thickburger — two 1/3-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and mayonnaise on a buttered sesame seed bun. The sandwich alone sells for $5.49, $7.09 with fries and a soda."
That sandwich alone, along with the Starbucks drink, would run more than $10.00! It would be the perfect "sack lunch" to take to those rat-bast@rd busybodies offices, just to see the faces they'd make! Of course, that would mean eating a single meal with 2000 calories and 126 grams of fat! But I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for the cause!
Mark
Even with the information, do you think people will pay attention to it? :)
Stupid beyond belief.
People who walk into Starbucks are perfectly welcome to bypass the pastry case and order a tall with skim milk and no whip. Nobody is forced into ordering a venti whole milk latte with whip and a pastry.
It's called PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
All of the restaurants I've ever worked at gave discounts for food to the employees. It's just that I was responding to free food for employees. When I worked at Pizza Hut (that must have been around 1975 or 1976, back when the opening chef made the dough and pizza sauce fresh every day), anyone who wored more than a 4 hour shift got a free small pizza, sanwich, or pasta dish.
Mark
People won't pay attention, but then it is their own fault. The business owner would have done what was required.
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