Starbucks (SBUX.O), opens new tab has been sued by consumers who said the coffee chain falsely advertised eight protein beverages as “sugar-free” because they contain lactose, a naturally occurring sugar in milk.
According to a proposed class action filed on Friday, reasonable consumers would not expect the beverages to contain 13 to 21 grams of sugar per 20- or 24-ounce “venti” serving.
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A Starbucks spokesperson said in an email that the claims have no merit.
“Starbucks has consistently and clearly provided information about its protein beverages, sugar-free options, customization choices, and nutritional content across product announcements, menus, marketing materials, Starbucks.com and the Starbucks app, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves,” the spokesperson said.
It’s literally a disaccharide at several times the 0.5g/12 oz limit for “sugar-free”. I’m genuinely shocked how brazen this lie is.
Health fad being hugely exacerbated by RFK Jr.'s HHS as well as corporations taking advantage and further perpetuating the fad by slapping “high-protein” onto foods that are genuinely fucking terrible for you. (Edit: I like to call this “proteinwashing”.)
The RDA for protein is 0.8–1.0 g per kilogram of body weight. (Notably, RFK just upped it to 1.2 to 1.6 g, so if you’re using that figure, you’re using RFK’s new, vastly overinflated figure.) If you’re on a Western pattern diet like most Americans are, you’re basically guaranteed to be getting enough protein unless you’re bulking.
In addition to a corporate cash grab and a component in a far-right culture war against vegetarians and vegans, it’s also a distraction from how woefully deficient a Western pattern diet is in things like fiber – which only roughly 5% of Americans get enough of in their diets.
TL;DR: Protein is what plants crave.