Starbucks is the latest chain to try to jump on the no-trans fats bandwagon, trying to demonstrate to customers how much they care about health and nutrition. Starting this week, approximately half of the stores in the US, including those in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, will have zero trans fats on their menus.
The company says that they have been planning the switch for two years now and that their nationally distributed pastries, primarily seasonal items like the Gingerbread loaf cake, are already trans-fat free. The rest of their pastries are baked by regional bakeries, which Starbucks contracts to provide pastries for their stores. These pastries vary from region to region, as do the recipes for them, so not every supplier has yet made a switch, but Starbucks seems to anticipate that it will not be long before they do.
So, if you're not located in one of the aforementioned areas of the country, does that mean you need to worry about trans fats at Starbucks? Not where drinks are concerned. According to the nutritional information on their website, very few of their drink products contain trans fats and those that do have only a very minimal amount. The pastries, on the other hand, vary widely by region, but judging from a random sampling of regional nutritional data (offered by zip code on the Starbucks website) your best bet will be a muffin or loaf cake if you want to minimize your trans-fat intake without cutting out pastries all together, at least until your area is declared trans-fat free, too.
1-05-2007 @4:28PM pickleman said... Yay. Good job! I guess they finally watched Supersize Me.
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1-06-2007 @1:18AM fethiye said... I hope one day this new wave will turn into not using high fructose corn syrup.
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1-10-2007 @8:28PM Alex said... Ussualy, when people go to Starbucks, they don't want healthy food.
Cant there be one store that isnt trans fat free?
I'm not saying its not a good thing, but seriously, it took them a long time to do this.
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1-10-2007 @8:57PM dave said... whats next food in a tube no flavor just so the freaks have something to talk about
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1-10-2007 @8:37PM adam shapiro said... who cares honestly i love your coffeee
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1-10-2007 @9:05PM Katie said... Who likes Starbucks anyway??????????
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1-10-2007 @9:15PM Mary Koivu said... I like Starbucks, I go a few times a year. I will say, while I am very happy restaurants are starting to think about TRANS FATS and eliminate them for the sake of the people and how it effects us now and later. Thank you KFC, Dunkin Donuts & Starbucks for taking that big step for our health, and our kids health even when we are not around to guide them away from Trans Fats.
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1-10-2007 @9:25PM sally mailander said... you are right who cares about them away, what are they becoming,walmart of america? bad coffee anyway!
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1-10-2007 @9:18PM Mary Koivu said... Thank you Starbucks for taking the big step and eliminating Trans Fats. I am very happy and will continue to go to Starbucks
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1-12-2007 @6:28PM Mary Koivu said... Great job for eliminating Trans Fats, I will continue to shop at Starbucks
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1-10-2007 @9:27PM Christine Rose said... How about a delicious NATURAL sugar substitute that even diabetics can have? There are plenty! Like Sorbitol, but NOT Splenda! I love my chai but can't take all that sugar.
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1-10-2007 @9:32PM Jim Ferguson said... SINCE STARBUCKS & DUNKIN DONUTS SELLS LESS COFFEE THAN MILK OR DONUTS, WHO CARES??? THEIR COFFEE SUCKS ANYWAY.......BURNED AND TERRIBLE.
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1-10-2007 @9:33PM Bonnie Pope said... As a nurse who does nutritional education I'd like to say that, for the most part, you can have your cake and eat it too! The only thing trans fatty acids were good for was prolonging shelf life and keeping something from melting if it was left out! Bad reasoning there! And literally heart-stopping. I say, Bravo, Starbucks. And thanks for the Pumpkin loaf.
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1-10-2007 @9:41PM Jenn said... Everyone loves starbucks and i'm sure this change won't hurt their buisness
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1-10-2007 @9:41PM OLIVIA KENTLER said... starbucks should keep items such as pumkin spice latte, gingerbread latte and peppermint mocha on a permanent basis.
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1-10-2007 @9:52PM mary said... I'm so glad starbucks has opened a store in Virginia gives all the other coffee shops some competion. Star bucks is the best and will always be.
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1-10-2007 @10:06PM Amy said... Actually Olivia, you can get a Peppermint Mocha there any time of year. They have peppermint syrup all year, but the gingerbread and the pumpkin spice, they do not. All you have to do is ask them and they will make it for you. :)
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1-10-2007 @10:07PM Amy said... Actually, I LIKE Starbucks, (Katie, #5), but if any of you are lucky enough to live around an It's A Grind coffee place-I'd take them any day over Starbucks!
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1-30-2007 @11:14PM Chrystal said... WEll i think their idea is great i drink there coffee every time i go to cheerleading practice and it gives me the extra energy that i need to perform right! Also i think that this is a great idea because over half of the U.S. is obese and we need to cut out the trans fat and carbs and calories! I mean its destroying peoples lives, if we all lived a healthier life style we would all live longer!! By the way im 16!!
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1-10-2007 @10:18PM Fred said... Live and let live. Don't get so uptight people. Besides - if you can do better than Starbucks, go for it!
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