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How much is that morning jolt of caffeine worth? How badly do you need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Is there a price that can be put on your health? The Centre for Science in the Public Interest says that the number of calories Starbucks drinks contain can lead to obesity and heart disease. They are now asking consumers the question, is it worth it?

The amount of calories Starbucks drinks contain is indeed something that might shock most of the Seattle-based coffee giant’s loyal customers. For instance, a venti banana mocha frappuccino with whipped cream has about 720 calories and 11 grams of fat. That is more calories and the same fat content as can be found in a McDonald’s Big Mac.

In response to the fear that the company could become the next major target of a consumer health campaign, executives are saying that they are in the process of researching ways to reduce the amount of calories Starbucks drinks contain. In the meantime, their addicted consumers unknowingly continue to drink up their calories by the hundreds.

The Starbucks Workers Union – a division of the Industrial Workers of the World – echoed the statements of the CSPI. It went even further in suggesting that the total calories Starbucks drinks have in them can also lead to an increased risk of cancer. “Regular consumers of Starbucks products could face Venti-sized health problems,” says CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson. “If Starbucks cared about its customers’ health, it would at least list on the menu board the calorie content of its offerings.”

The number of calories Starbucks White Mocha contains is 510, but this isn’t the type of information you would be able to find in any of their stores. The company’s official website does indeed list the amount of calories Starbucks drinks contain, but public health groups want this information displayed on the menus in each and every retail outlet.

These consumer groups are also becoming concerned with the company’s indirect marketing to children, suggesting that the calories Starbucks drinks hold could be extremely damaging to their overall health. Starbucks’ written policy states, “Overall marketing, advertising and event sponsorship efforts are not directed at children or youth.” However, when the company begins sponsoring family-oriented events, like a day with free Starbucks drinks at the Phoenix Zoo, critics begin to question their corporate strategy.

The increasing sweetness of drinks such as its Frappuccinos hides the calories Starbucks drinks actually have and makes children especially susceptible the associated health problems. Company executives now say that the number of calories Starbucks drinks contain has been reduced in some cases, such as with the light Frappuccino, or their new line of juices.

Michael Coles, president of Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee Co., defends the larger coffee giant, suggesting that the calories Starbucks drinks contain are not as serious a problem as it is often made out to be, especially for kids. “Better they should get hooked on an ice-blended beverage than maybe something else,” she says.

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