Starbucks Ground Coffee Is Accused Of Being Contaminated With A ‘Harmful Additive’

Puroast, a coffee company based in High Point, North Carolina, alleges that one particular Starbucks coffee blend contains a potentially harmful additive. Last week, the company filled a complaint with the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division, and alleged that Starbucks ‘Dark French Roast’ coffee potassium levels were higher than normal.

As reported by the The New York Post, Puroast conducted independent testing, and this revealed that the ‘Dark French Roast’ blend has 13% more potassium than Starbucks’ ‘House Blend.’ Here’s what we know:

What Are The Health Risks Of Spiked Potassium Levels?

While spiked potassium levels do not present a “traditional food safety issue,” Food Safety News points out, anyone with kidney disease could be “harmed by elevated potassium levels in the bloodstream,” and a condition known as hyperkalemia can result. One 8-ounce cup of coffee contains approximately 116 milligrams of potassium and the National Kidney Foundation deems this to be safe.

Additional potassium in the Starbucks ground coffee, Eat This, Not That notes, would “help to tone down the bitterness of the blend,” and according to the complaint, this would likely be intentional. “These significant variances … can only be explained by the purposeful addition of potassium to the coffee during Starbucks’ production process,” the complaint states.

Through the complaint, Puroast is also claiming that Starbucks is misleading coffee drinkers by failing to reveal the additive. The company alleges that the “100% Arabica” label is duping coffee lovers who are under the assumption  that Arabica beans are of higher quality.

Puroast’s Story

Purcoast’s story is that Salem A. Ibrahim, Ph.D., discovered the high levels of potassium in bags of Starbucks Dark French Roast Coffee. These were allegedly collected from grocery stores in North Carolina in August. The Starbucks coffees were subjected to independent laboratory tests, Food Safety News notes, which “confirmed the presence of abnormal amounts of potassium.”

While potassium is normally present in coffee and other foods, the company says that the levels of it found in Starbucks coffee exceed other national coffee brands by a longshot. Ibrahim said they could not be “statistically explainable as an organic deviation,” as FSN writes.

Puroast Coffee’s CEO Kerry Sachs claims Ibrahim’s findings “are conclusive,” and that the Seattle-based coffee giant is adding potassium to roasted coffee, significantly altering its brew acid levels and flavor. Sachs dubs this to be “unprecedented deception by a national brand that has far-reaching implications for consumer trust of the purity of coffee.”

Starbucks’ Response

Starbucks denied adding anything to its ‘Dark French Roast,’ including potassium. “We are aware of the complaint Puroast has filed with the North Carolina Consumer Protection Division and believe it is without merit,” a spokesperson for the coffee chain said.

Puroast, as Eat This, Not That notes, makes coffee that claims to have “7 times more antioxidants” and “70% less acid” than other coffees, according to its website, so it would “potentially benefit from taking down the large competitor,” especially locally where it is sold.