Starbucks is sued by a consumer advocacy group for deceptive advertising and willfully shirking its "100% ethical sourcing" pledge.
The National Consumers League (NCL) sued the coffee merchant on January 10 for working with farms that "commit egregious labor and human rights violations," and "deceiving" consumers.
The National Consumers League (NCL) sued the coffee merchant on January 10 for working with farms
that "commit egregious labor and human rights violations," and "deceiving" consumers. Starbucks has long promoted ethical consumerism and social and environmental responsibility.
The coffee merchant created Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices in 2004 to thoroughly examine farms that provide its coffee and tea.
NCL claims to have "widespread evidence" that Starbucks continues to buy commodities from farms in Kenya, Guatemala, and Brazil "with a documented history of child labor
forced labor, sexual harassment and assault and other human rights abuses." "On every bag of coffee and box of K-cups on grocery store shelves, Starbucks is telling consumers a lie
Consumers have a right to know exactly what they're paying for." Recently, corporations utilizing deceptive advertising to market items to socially and ecologically sensitive consumers have come under fire
Food Industry Executive notes that food and beverage consumer class action filings have surged by over 100% in the last decade.
The NCL said it filed against Starbucks to "protect consumers who may unknowingly be buying unethically sourced coffee or tea — and paying a premium for those product
Although firm reform would be significant, the consumer rights group wants the coffee giant to stop deceptive advertising and accept responsibility for its mistakes.
Starbucks responded to Tasting Table: "We are aware of the complaint and will aggressively defend against charges that Starbucks misrepresented its ethical sourcing commitments to customers.
We periodically re-verify each supply chain and work with our business partners to meet our Global Human Rights Statement."