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Is Starbucks Coffee Bad For You?
Starbucks does not use organic coffee; however, efforts are taken to source its beans ethically.
Starbucks was among the first companies to sell fair trade certified coffee, an initiative which ensures farmers get fair compensation for their crop while investing it back into their farms and communities. Furthermore, fair trade certified coffee helps eliminate child labor while providing safer working conditions.
Most coffee beans are treated with pesticides to ward off disease and insects, compromising their quality and diminishing their quality overall. Organic coffee produced on smaller farms offers numerous environmental and taste advantages over its conventional counterpart.
Are You Wondering If Starbucks Coffee Is Harmful To Your Health? While coffee may be harmful, it doesn’t compare with processed foods as being risky to our wellbeing. Coffee contains caffeine which has the ability to cause sleep disturbance and anxiety when taken in excess; however, decaf options like the Organic Yukon blend offer healthier solutions when enjoying this beverage.
Organic coffee is the best way to ensure you don’t consume toxins in your drink, since mass-produced and imported beans may have been exposed to higher concentrations of chemicals than smaller farms with greater control over production can prevent toxic contamination with pesticides and other harmful elements.
Though Starbucks does not use organic coffee, they do provide some shade-grown and bird friendly options on their menu, including Organic Shade Grown Mexico from Chiapas which comes from producers working with Conservation International since 1998 to help preserve El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. Starbucks can buy this coffee at above market prices thanks to an exporter taking a cut from farmers supplying this coffee directly – not an ideal arrangement but likely necessary so they can offer this coffee to their customers.
Starbucks may come under criticism for not going organic completely, yet they do take steps to support sustainable farming practices and foster social responsibility and community investment through programs such as their Coffee & Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) Practices Pilot Program and Initiative. Starbucks was also among the first companies to introduce “cups for the planet”, by offering sustainable espresso cups in their stores.