Starbucks Frappucinos In Jeopardy Under Bloomberg's Soda Ban

While the proposed soda ban is still being mulled over by Mayor Bloomberg and the New York Department of Health, Starbucks is trying to figure out its next steps for one of its most popular drinks: the Frappucino. (We expect sugar-deprived protestors to riot any day now.)

The New York Times reports on how the company is dealing with news that the larger Frappucinos may be banned under Mayor Bloomberg's plan to ban the sale of 16-ounce and larger sugary drinks. While the company in Seattle told the NYT most of the drinks on the menu would fall outside of the ban, the future of some drinks, like the sugary Frapp, are unclear.  Linda Mills, a Starbucks spokeswoman, told the NYT, "It's hard for us to give a definitive word on which of our beverages would be impacted by the proposal."

Yesterday, Howard Schultz, the chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks, went on CBS This Morning and applauded Bloomberg's initiative to fight obesity — but hesitated to praise the ban. He said, "I'm not sure that he's going to achieve the results that he desires as a result of this initiative... I'm not sure it's the right approach, but we're obviously going to follow suit and respond to him because he's trying to do something that's quite important."

There will be a public health meeting to discuss the ban on July 24th; the plan is expected to be passed in September, but may include some tweaks. Hopefully it won't impact the future of Frapps in New York.