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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Temple chapter.

Starbucks refresher? No thanks. 

Everyone has a favorite drink from Starbucks. Whether it’s a coffee, refresher, or something else, chances are that you order your favorite drinks without a second thought. Having a strong distaste for coffee, I’ve never tried a Starbucks drink, but I do get recommendations from friends to try their refreshers instead. However, with the recent lawsuit against Starbucks over their lack of fruit in their refresher drinks, I don’t plan on trying them anytime soon. 

 A lawsuit was presented in New York against Starbucks because many of their refresher drinks seem to be missing key ingredients advertised in the drink titles. Many of us would reasonably assume that their popular strawberry acai refreshers have a significant amount of acai in it, but the main ingredients are listed to be water, sugar, and white grape juice concentrate, with some “acai notes.” There are also a few vague ingredients, such as “fruit and vegetable juice,” but not much more detail can be found about what is really in these drinks.  

On top of that, Starbucks drinks are priced at a premium as if they contain natural and healthy ingredients. Despite making it into the name of the drink, the absence of the health benefits of the acai berry can be interpreted as misleading. For such a well-known and established franchise, I expected greater transparency and quality behind their drinks.  

That being said, I am aware that many foods and drinks from cafes and restaurants typically contain mysterious ingredients and more sugar than I’d be able to guess. I’ll still be ordering my favorite drinks around campus when I get the chance, but news of this lawsuit doesn’t make me inclined to try Starbucks refreshers soon. Regardless of Starbucks’s popularity among college students, it doesn’t hurt to think twice before ordering, even if it has a healthy name like strawberry acai refresher. 

Diane Nguyen

Temple '25

Diane is the Co-Events Coordinator of Her Campus Temple University, which entails planning fun events and socials for the team. At Temple University, Diane majors in Biology and minors in Public Health. Prior to becoming a chapter board member, Diane was a staff writer for the campus life and news section. Her professional background is largely in the field of STEM. She has worked as a receptionist/technician in an eye doctor’s office, and serves as an executive board member for Temple University’s Biology Society and Alpha Epsilon Delta Chapter. In her free time, Diane enjoys exploring the outdoors and going on hikes around her hometown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she's not studying, Diane can be found reading, volunteering, listening to crime podcasts, or catching up with friends.