Starbucks sued for 'false and misleading' ethical sourcing by consumer group

A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks on Wednesday, saying the company’s claim that its coffee is ethically sourced is false and misleading.

The National Consumers League cited media reports of abuses on farms that supply coffee and tea to Starbucks. The group said the cases cast doubt on Starbucks’ packaging, which states that the company is “committed to 100 per cent ethical coffee sourcing.”

Starbucks said Wednesday it was aware of the lawsuit and will “aggressively defend against the asserted claims.” The lawsuit was filed in Superior Court in the District of Columbia.

Among the incidents cited in the lawsuit was a 2022 case in which police rescued 17 workers — including three teenagers — from a coffee farm in Brazil where they were made to work outdoors without protective equipment and lift 130-pound sacks of coffee. The case was covered by Repórter Brasil, a group of journalists that investigates workers’ rights and environmental issues.

Starbucks said Wednesday it had no information about that case.

“We take allegations like these extremely seriously and are actively engaged with farms to ensure they adhere to our standards,” the company said.

The lawsuit also cites a 2023 report by the BBC exposing rampant sexual abuse and gruelling working conditions on the James Finlay tea plantation in Kenya. James Finlay was a supplier to Starbucks at the time, but Starbucks said Wednesday it no longer buys tea from that plantation.

Starbucks buys around 3 per cent of the world’s coffee. The company says it works with 400,000 farmers in more than 30 countries.

• Boycott calls over Gaza war hit Western brands like Starbucks, McDonald's