After recalling products that were linked to allergen and bacteria risk, Starbucks is again facing controversy. The renowned coffee shop faces lawsuit over underfilled Latte drinks.
On Wednesday, two customers filed a class-action lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Northern California against Starbucks, claiming that the company routinely underfills its lattes in order to save money on milk. The lawsuit involved two California residents, one from San Francisco and the other from San Diego.
A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. It is topped with a layer of milk foam. According to the lawsuit (PDF), the company cheats purchasers by providing less fluid in their lattes and underfills them by about 25 percent.
Starbucks lattes are made from a standardized recipe that was implemented in 2009 to save cost of milk, which is one of the most expensive ingredients. The company, however, underfills the cup by several ounces. The serving cups where lattes are placed are too small to accommodate the fluid ounces listed on the coffee shop's menu.
For instance, a Grande latte should have 16 ounces of fluid as stated in the menu if the cup is full, but the company just fills the container up to about ¼ inch below the cup rim.
Underfilling servings helped the company save millions of dollars in the cost of goods and receiving more payments for the product it served. The plaintiffs, Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles, said that this is a violation of California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act, California's False Advertising Law, California's Unfair Competition Law, negligent misrepresentation and fraud.
The company, however, said that it believes the claims are without merit.
"We are proud to serve our customers high-quality, handcrafter and customized beverages, and we inform customers of the likelihood of variations," said a Starbucks spokesperson.
Starbucks is the leading American coffee company and coffeehouse chain. Founded in 1971, Starbucks grew to more than 23,000 retail locations worldwide with more than nearly 13,000 locations in the United States alone.
In 2015, the company realized an approximately $19.2 billion in revenue and currently has more than 190,000 employees.
Photo: Noel Reinhold | Flickr
