A federal lawsuit filed Friday alleges that Starbucks is misleading consumers with a line of “sugar-free” drinks that actually contain a significant amount of sugar. The company denies the allegations, but a quick visit to the Starbucks website reveals that some drinks labeled as sugar-free also have nutrition labels that explain the beverages have as much as 21 grams of sugar.
The lawsuit was filed by the law firm Hagens Berman on behalf of plaintiffs in California, Washington, and New York, according to the Associated Press. In a statement to the news wire, a co-founder of the law firm explained that it’s not just about the average person trying to avoid sugar. There can be bad health consequences for diabetics, for example.
“Consumers avoid sugar for various reasons, whether that be general health, diabetes and blood glucose levels or other factors, and for many, a staunch mislabeling like this is significant,” Steve Berman told the AP.
A search on the Starbucks website reveals drinks listed with names like “sugar-free caramel protein matcha” and “iced sugar-free vanilla protein matcha.” 20-ounce versions of the former are listed as having 21 grams of sugar, while 24-ounce versions of the latter have 17 grams of sugar, according to the site.
Reached for comment over email, a spokesperson for Starbucks told Gizmodo the company denies the allegations that it’s deceiving customers.
“We believe these claims have no merit,” said the spokesperson.
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