On October 2, three consumers filed a lawsuit with the Western District Court of Washington in Seattle through Hagens Berman, a law firm known for class action lawsuits, and partner law firm Sterlington PLLC, alleging that the names of 8 products named “sugar-free” in the Starbucks protein drink series were untrue. The eight products involved include sugar-free vanilla protein latte, sugar-free caramel protein latte, sugar-free vanilla protein matcha, sugar-free caramel protein matcha, and their respective iced versions. Citing US federal regulations, the lawsuit stated that “federal law prohibits the use of beverages containing more than 0.5 grams of sugar in every reference amount commonly consumed, and the state's consumer protection law prohibits the sale of these products under false and misleading names.” Starbucks responded that the company believed the allegations were “unfounded.” Its spokesperson emphasized that Starbucks has consistently and clearly provided information about its protein drinks, sugar-free options, customized options, and nutritional content in product announcements, menus, marketing materials, Starbucks.com, and the Starbucks app, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves on this issue.

On October 2, three consumers filed a lawsuit with the Western District Court of Washington in Seattle through Hagens Berman, a law firm known for class action lawsuits, and partner law firm Sterlington PLLC, alleging that the names of 8 products named “sugar-free” in the Starbucks protein drink series were untrue. The eight products involved include sugar-free vanilla protein latte, sugar-free caramel protein latte, sugar-free vanilla protein matcha, sugar-free caramel protein matcha, and their respective iced versions. Citing US federal regulations, the lawsuit stated that “federal law prohibits the use of beverages containing more than 0.5 grams of sugar in every reference amount commonly consumed, and the state's consumer protection law prohibits the sale of these products under false and misleading names.” Starbucks responded that the company believed the allegations were “unfounded.” Its spokesperson emphasized that Starbucks has consistently and clearly provided information about its protein drinks, sugar-free options, customized options, and nutritional content in product announcements, menus, marketing materials, Starbucks.com, and the Starbucks app, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves on this issue.