Starbucks: An expression of my hypocracy

sent by Tamika who snatched it from Netscape Home Page in the “What’s New” section

The Dirty Little Secret of Starbucks Coffee

That Starbucks coffee you're sipping on the way to work, as a mid-morning pick-me-up and an afternoon treat could be making you fat. Very fat. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a.k.a. "the food police," has issued this startling pronouncement: A 20-ounce Venti banana mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream contains 720 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat, while a banana cream crunch bar chalks up a stunning 630 calories and 25 grams of saturated fat. By comparison, a McDonald's Big Mac has 560 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.

Look out Starbucks! You may be the next target on CSPI's hit list, reports Reuters. This is the group that made a big name for itself several years ago attacking movie theater popcorn. Just recently they made headlines for suing KFC owner Yum Brands for frying the KFC chicken in oils that are high in trans fats, which are solid fats found in partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats are known to clog arteries and raise the risk of heart disease and obesity. CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson cleverly said, "Regular consumers of Starbucks products could face Venti-sized health problems."

So what does CSPI want Starbucks to do? List the nutrition information on its menu boards. That information is easily available on the Starbucks Web site, but it's not the same thing as seeing 720 calories right next to the price of that 20-ounce Venti banana mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream you're about to order. "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 Daniel Gross told Reuters in an interview. He wants Starbucks to use healthier shortenings that do not contain trans fat and to publicize the smallest size drink. It's called "short," and even though it is available in every Starbucks, you'll never see it on the menu. The union says Starbucks baristas gain weight when they work there since they are given unlimited free beverages and leftover pastries during their shifts.

What does Starbucks have to say? A company spokesman issued a statement saying the firm is "actively researching" alternatives to high-fat products. By this fall, it also plans to eliminate trans fat from seasonal baked goods (but not all baked goods). "In our beverage ingredients, we have reformulated any component that contained significant artificial trans fat content," the spokesman said.

I guess that explains what's happened to my middle....