Customer Appalled After Florida Starbucks Writes ‘Diabetes Here I Come’ On Drink
A Florida Starbucks customer was appalled after receiving a drink with the message “Diabetes here I come” written on the side.
The man, who has asked to remain anonymous, said he saw the message after he received his grande white mocha last week from a St. Augustine Starbucks.
While the Starbucks employee may have found the note humorous, the customer said diabetes is no laughing matter and explained that his two sisters were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The man went back to the Starbucks location and returned the drink with his own message, “2 of my sisters are diabetic, so… not funny.”
A @Starbucks customer tells me he’s hurt by the message he received on his coffee cup. Details on @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/hNMeC6ysRJ
— Kaitlyn Chana (@KaitlynANjax) April 8, 2016
“That first word just automatically brought the picture of both sisters in my head, and I was taken aback,” the Starbucks customer told CBS affiliate WJAX-TV.“Just the struggles they went through and all the doctor appointments they had.”
The customer shared a picture of the message with the news station, who then went to the Starbucks store manager Kent Miller to ask him if they condoned such behavior from their employees.
“No, we definitely don’t condone, but let me find more about this, and I will talk to my boss,” Miller said.
This @Starbucks customer tells me he wants the #Starbucks employee to know his sisters suffer from Type 1 diabetes. pic.twitter.com/lzmeAwLLdm
— Kaitlyn Chana (@KaitlynANjax) April 8, 2016
Starbucks corporate headquarters also commented on the incident.
“We strive to provide an inclusive and positive experience for our customers, and we’re disappointed to learn of this incident. We are working directly with the customer to apologize for his experience, and with our partners (employees) to ensure this does not happen again.”
The customer said he wasn’t seeking an apology. He just hopes that similar incidents do not take place. Miller added that the only thing that should be written on the cup is the type of drink and the customer’s name.
Starbucks has come under fire recently for the amount of sugar and calories that are in their tasty drinks. According to the Huffington Post, some of Starbucks’ drinks can contain up to 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving. The 16-ounce grande white mocha contains 470 calories when it’s made with two percent milk and 59 grams of sugar.
Below is the complete nutritional label for the white mocha drink.
| Calories 470 | Calories from Fat 170 |
| % Daily Value* | |
|---|---|
| Total Fat 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat 12g | 60% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 55mg | 18% |
| Sodium 250mg | 10% |
| Total Carbohydrate 62g | 21% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Sugars 59g | |
| Protein 14g | |
|
|
| Caffeine 150mg** | |
| *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. | |
| **Each caffeine value is an approximate value. | |
According to the American Diabetes Association, drinking sugary drinks is linked to the development of Type 2 Diabetes. The association recommends people “limit their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to help prevent diabetes.” Type 1 Diabetes, on the other hand, is not developed by an increased intake of sugar. Rather, it is caused by genetics and other unknown factors.
“If you don’t have a lot of time when reading labels, simply look at the total carbohydrate in a food,” the site suggests. “The total carbohydrate includes starch, fiber, sugar and sugar alcohols. Using the amount of total carbohydrate will give you a pretty good number to use for carbohydrate counting.”
What do you think about “Diabetes here I come” being written on the Florida customer’s drink? Leave your comments below.
[Photo by weedezign/Shutterstock.com]
