Starbucks sued over ‘Sugar-Free’ drinks that may have more sugar than a Reese’s cup
Illuminated Starbucks logo in the window of a Manhattan store, New York, New York, September 29, 2026. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
That Starbucks protein drink labeled "sugar-free" on the coffee chain’s menu may really have more sugar than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, a new consumer lawsuit claims.
Big picture view:
The federal lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of three consumers, claims the Seattle coffee chain promotes the protein drinks as sugarless despite the fact that they do contain sugar. The plaintiffs allege that Starbucks’ naming and marketing of the beverages are "false, deceptive, and unlawful."
As of Monday, Starbucks listed the drinks on its U.S. website under a "No Added Sugar Options" header with each of the beverages containing the words "Sugar-Free" in the individual item’s name. Selecting any of hem does bring up a customization page that also includes nutritional information listing the sugar content of each drink.
Big picture view:
According to the website, both the 16-ounce Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Matcha and Sugar-Free Caramel Protein Latte have 16 grams of sugar each. Moving up to the Venti sizes pushes the sugar amounts to 21 grams and 20 grams, respectively. For comparison, a single Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup from a standard 1.5-ounce two-pack contains 11 grams of sugar.
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What they're saying:
"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," said Steve Berman, a co-founder and managing partner of Hagens Berman, a Seattle-based law firm that specializes in class-action cases.
The other side:
Starbucks pushed back on the lawsuit, claiming that the sugar in the beverages comes from the protein-boosted milk used to make them. The coffee chain explained that it does not add sugar to the drinks and the syrup that is added for flavoring is sugar-free.
What they're saying:
"We believe these claims have no merit," a Starbucks spokesperson said Monday. "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."
What's next:
The lawsuit is asking for damages on behalf of customers who bought the drinks believing they were sugar-free and for Starbucks to stop marketing them as "sugar-free."
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press and Starbucks’ website. This story was reported from Orlando.