Fecal Macchiato? Bacteria Found In British Starbucks Iced Drinks

Starbucks Corporation SBUX began an internal investigation after the BBC reported traces of fecal bacteria in the coffee chain’s iced drinks.

“We want to reassure our customers that we take hygiene and cleanliness extremely seriously,” a company spokesperson told Benzinga. “We have moved quickly to conduct our own investigation into the claims, and all employees nationwide have received updated training on our high standards of hygiene, including ice handling.”

The representative declined to provide an update on the status of the inspection.

The BBC had tested samples from local British sites and found fecal coliform in three of 10 drinks. The particular strand of bacteria is correlated with dysentery, typhoid fever, gastroenteritis and hepatitis.

The BBC’s report, which surfaced Wednesday morning, also revealed the pathogen in Costa and Caffe Nero brands.

Starbucks shares were initially unmoved by the news and actually spiked up 1 percent in premarket trading before promptly falling 1 percent off the high.

Posted In: NewsRestaurantsExclusivesInterviewGeneralBBC
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