Health advocates take aim at Starbucks

(New York -WABC, June 19, 2006) (WABC) -- Fast food restaurants have been under fire for contributing to the nation's obesity problem, but now a consumer group is taking aim at coffee giant Starbucks.

Eyewitness News reporter Lauren Glassberg is here to explain.

If you're just ordering a coffee you're fine, but if you're ordering a frozen blended drink from Starbucks you could end up sipping away your recommended daily calories and one consumer group is hoping you take pause before you slurp.

Customer: "It was a hot day and I wanted to treat myself."

And good thing she did it with an iced skim mocha. It only has 180 calories. Compare that to the more decadent venti banana mocha frappacino and she'd be sipping on the equivalent 720 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.

Michael Jacobson, CSPI: "They may have good coffee. But there is something there to criticize."

The Center for Science in the Public Interest or CSPI has in the past taken aim at KFC for using harmful trans fats. Now it's making Starbucks its star target.

It isn't just it's whipped drinks but also its baked goods. Starbuck's new banana cream crunch bar has 25 grams of saturated fat, more than twice that of a Big Mac.

But unlike McDonalds, the nutritional information isn't always readily available at Starbucks, though it is on the website.

CSPI wants the trans fats out and wants Starbucks customers to know what they're eating, and drinking for that matter.

Russell Baptist, Customer: "There's nothing worse than empty calories. If I'm going to get calories let me get it with some good grease. I want to eat it, I don't want to just drink it and not be full."

All joking aside, Registered Dietician Amy Fleishman says if you must satisfy your craving, do so in moderation and plan ahead.

Amy Fleishman, RD, Mt. Sinai School of Med.: "If you know you're going to have this beverage or this food that's higher calorie, have a healthier lunch, have a healthier dinner, smaller portions or lower calorie, lower fat."

And perhaps next time opt for a smaller frozen coffee drink.

Starbucks says it is committed to eliminating all trans fats in its baked goods that it offers nationwide by the fall of this year, and as for its beverages, it is actively seeking reformulation of products that contain trans fats.

Also, all Starbucks offer reduced fat options.

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