Next time you go to order a grande Caramel Frappuccino, you’ll be faced with the blended drink’s calorie count.
Starbucks announced today all of its stores’ menu boards will include caloric information beginning June 25. That goes for food and drinks.
So that grande Caramel Frappucino? That’ll set you back 410 calories.
(Add a slice of pumpkin bread for another 390 calories.)
Starbucks already provides the nutritional information for its menu items in printed brochures, on its website and through its mobile app.
But the new policy will make the calorie information easily available for customers when they’re ordering.
“Menu labeling is yet another step to extend our commitment to wellness, ensuring our customers and partners (employees) have the information they need to make informed decisions and understand all the ways that they can customize their Starbucks beverages to be within their desired calorie range,” Mary Wagner, a senior vice president at Starbucks, said in a news release from the company.
“Starbucks believes that wellness is the journey to a happy, healthy life through daily choices, whether it’s a favorite beverage or a wholesome meal option,” she said.
Whether including caloric information on menus will impact what people order isn’t clear. Some public health experts argue that without putting the calories into context, simply attaching the numbers to the menus won’t be effective, according to a Time article.
“If customers don’t understand what 250 calories means or how those calories fit into their overall daily dietary requirements, posting that information on a menu may not be very useful,” two Johns Hopkins obesity experts explained in a recent editorial.
Will the caloric information on the menu board affect your Starbucks order?
Fun fact: The Affordable Care Act requires restaurant chains with more than 20 locations in the U.S. to post calorie counts on their menus by 2014.
Marissa Harshman
I'm the health reporter for The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash. I started at The Columbian -- my hometown newspaper -- in September 2009. Reach me at marissa.harshman@columbian.com or 360-735-4546.