SEATTLE, Wash. — Starbucks is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit that claims eight protein drinks labeled as “sugar-free” are misleading and accuses the company of violating consumer protection laws.
The lawsuit, filed Oct. 2 in U.S. District Court in Seattle, said the beverages contain between 13 and 21 grams of sugar in a venti serving.
“Twenty-one grams is hardly ‘sugar-free,’” Steve Berman, Hagens Berman co-founder and managing partner, said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “Beverages with this much sugar are like drinking a candy bar.”
The lawsuit targets hot and iced versions of Starbucks’ Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte, Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Latte, Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha and Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha.
The customers argue that calling a drink “sugar-free” leads buyers to believe the entire drink contains no sugar, not just the syrup used to flavor it.
Customers seek refunds, label changes for Starbucks’ ‘sugar-free’ drinks
The complaint includes screenshots of Starbucks’ online ordering pages, including one listing 20 grams of sugar for a Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha. One California plaintiff said she purchased a Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte believing it contained no sugar and did not see sugar-content information before completing her purchase.
“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,” Berman said in the release.
The lawsuit also said Starbucks failed to include required language explaining that the drinks are not low-calorie or reduced-calorie products.
The customers want their money back and a court order requiring Starbucks to correct the allegedly misleading labels.
Starbucks said in a statement to KIRO Newsradio 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 in this matter,” the company added.
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This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.