Starbucks Just Got Hit With A Lawsuit Over Its '100% Ethical' Coffee Sourcing

When a consumer chooses one coffee bag over another, the carefully roasted beans that produce that rich flavor might not be the only deciding factor. Particular terms — ones like "100% ethically sourced" — imply that the product adheres to certain, meticulous standards. As The Hill reported, the National Consumers League (NCL) filed a false and deceptive advertising claim against Starbucks' coffee and tea products in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

According to the claim, the NCL alleges that Starbucks' description of "ethically sourced" products, developed per the company's own established sourcing practices, misleads consumers. The claim cites instances where the coffee and tea farms that supply products for Starbucks have been investigated to show issues of child labor, human rights abuses, and other questionable corporate guidelines.

In a public statement, NCL Chief Executive Office Sally Greenberg asserted that using the term "ethical" on the Starbucks label deceives the public of the real conditions at the coffee and tea farms. Greenberg believes that consumers might choose a different product if they were aware of the realities at the source of the products.

In response to the news of the National Consumers League lawsuit, Starbucks posted a response on its website that seemingly defended the company's practices concerning ethical sourcing. "In instances where Starbucks is notified of alleged violations, we take immediate action," stated Michelle Burns, Starbucks' Executive Vice President of Global Coffee, Social Impact, and Sustainability.

In a later statement to Tasting Table, the company noted that it was "aware of the lawsuit, and plan[s] to aggressively defend against the asserted claims that Starbucks has misrepresented its ethical sourcing commitments to customers."

The statement further noted that Starbucks takes "allegations like these extremely seriously and are actively engaged with farms to ensure they adhere to our standards," explaining that, "each supply chain is required to undergo re-verification regularly and we remain committed to working with our business partners to meet the expectations detailed in our Global Human Rights Statement."

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Tasting Table.