Starbucks Refreshers serve as a lightly caffeinated, fruity coffee-alternative that many customers love to sip on for their afternoon pick-me-up. However, a recent lawsuit alleges that the “fruity” part of these beverages may be deceiving; according to the complaint Joan Kominis filed in Manhattan, these drinks don’t contain the fruits they claim to.
There are several varieties of Starbucks Refreshers, including Mango Drangonfruit Lemonade, Strawberry Acai Lemonade, and Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade. But Komonis, who resides in Astoria, Queens, says the Mango Dragonfruit drink contains no mango, the Pineapple Passionfruit lacks passionfruit, and the Strawberry Acai doesn’t offer an ounce of acai. Yikes!
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Starbucks added the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher to their menu this summer, as seen in this Instagram post. However, this new lawsuit claims the drink contains no passionfruit.
So, what do the beverages actually contain, if not the fruits their names boast? According to the complaint, they are “predominantly made with water, grape juice concentrate and sugar.” Additionally, bits of freeze-dried strawberries, pineapple, and dragonfruit can be found in these Refreshers—but these additions only make up half of the names of the drinks.
The coffee chain is gearing up to take on the lawsuit; they say the complaints are “inaccurate.” Spokesperson Megan Adams addressed the claims in an interview with the New York Post, saying, “The allegations in the complaint are inaccurate and without merit. We look forward to defending ourselves against these claims.”
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Starbucks’ Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade (as seen in the Instagram post above) is a popular summer drink—but this recent lawsuit alleges there’s no real Dragonfruit in the drink.
Real passionfruit juice or not, the Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade, along with other fan-favorite seasonal drinks, doesn’t falter in popularity. This summer menu item will likely be on its way out soon as the store ushers in their fall lineup, complete, of course with the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. Funnily enough, Starbucks adjusted the recipe for this cult classic to include real pumpkin (rather than artificial flavor) back in 2015—so hopefully there’s no lawsuit there.
