Tag: coffee
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Court Rules Tip-Sharing at Starbucks Violates Massachusetts Law
A federal court in Massachusetts has certified a class of Starbucks’ employees alleging that the company’s policy of requiring tip-sharing by baristas and their supervisors violates state law; the court also granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on that issue. Matamoros v. Starbucks Corp., No. 08-10772 (D. Mass., decided March 18, 2011). So ruling,…
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Second Circuit Dismisses Burn Claims Against Starbucks
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a district court’s dismissal of claims filed by a 76-year-old woman who alleged that she was seriously burned when trying to remove the lid from a cup of tea she purchased at Starbucks. Moltner v. Starbucks Coffee Co., No. 09-4943 (2d Cir., decided November 3, 2010). The court…
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FDA Issues Warning Letter to Makers of “Viagra Coffee”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning letter to the New York-based manufacturer of “Magic Power Coffee,” a product that purportedly contains the active ingredient used in erectile dysfunction medications. According to the letter, INZ Distributors, Inc., has marketed the coffee as a conventional food despite the presence of hydroxythiohomosildenafil, an analogue…
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EFSA Studies Carcinogenic Furan in Foods
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued an August 2, 2010, report urging member states to increase their monitoring of furan, a compound with aromatic properties that can form in a variety of heat-treated commercial foods and which has purportedly been shown to be carcinogenic in animal experiments. EFSA intends to use the report…
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$86 Million Verdict in Starbucks Tip-Sharing Class Action Overturned
A California appeals court has determined that Starbucks did not violate state labor laws by allowing shift supervisors to share the tips left by customers in collective tip boxes and thus, overturned an $86 million award made to a class of current and former Starbucks’ baristas. Chau v. Starbucks Corp., No. D053491 (Cal. Ct. App., decided…