STARBUCKS IS IN HOT WATER

Starbucks Corp. is hastily testing alternative ways to disinfect the spoons it uses to prepare drinks, after a British tabloid on Monday accused the coffee company of wasting 6.2 million gallons of water per day.

The Sun's investigation, titled "The great drain robbery," has generated disgust at Starbucks from environmentalists around the world. Besides wasting tons of water while some places suffer droughts, the practice also appears to contradict Starbucks' boasted commitment to environmental responsibility.

"The giant coffee chain has a policy of keeping a tap running non-stop at all its 10,000 outlets worldwide, wasting 23.4 million litres a day," The Sun reported. "That would provide enough daily water for the entire 2 million-strong population of drought-hit Namibia in Africa or fill an Olympic pool every 83 minutes."

(Starbucks actually had 16,548 stores as of its last quarterly income statement. The company would not confirm whether The Sun's water estimates were correct.)

Ironically, Starbucks owns Ethos Water, a bottled water brand that donates a portion of its revenue toward helping children have access to clean water and raising awareness of a worldwide water crisis.

The Sun article did not appear to consider in its calculations that Starbucks baristas also pour out coffee every 30 minutes to keep a fresh brew ready for customers. Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz once said, "We'll be pouring out more coffee than most people serve."

Seattle-based Starbucks does keep a tap running at all of its stores, a spokeswoman confirmed Thursday. But she defended the coffee chain's policy, saying that the running water into a "dipper well" is needed to kill bacteria and remove allergens.

Other food companies also use dipper wells to clean ice cream scoops and spoons used to serve foods such as mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Starbucks appears to have been using dipper wells for more than 10 years.