(PatriotWise.com)- Last month, Starbucks voluntarily removed its new “savory” chicken breakfast sandwich from its menu amid social media claims that the “savory” sandwich was causing diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. But the company denies that its removal was prompted by reports of illnesses.
The coffee company’s seasonal chicken, maple butter, and egg breakfast sandwich debuted on the first day of summer only to be withdrawn five days later on June 26. In a statement, Starbucks claimed the menu item failed to meet its standard of quality. However, the company denied that the sandwich was removed for causing any specific illness.
After its introduction, unverified reports began appearing on social media with users claiming the sandwich had given them stomach problems, including vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.
The website iwaspoisoned.com, a crowdsourced site that chronicles foodborne illness outbreaks, received five claims that the sandwich left customers feeling temporarily ill.
But in a statement, Starbucks disputed the claims. The company said the quality problem with the sandwich had nothing to do with a foodborne illness like listeria or salmonella. It said any reports that its removal was due to illness “are inaccurate.”
Starbucks said withdrawing menu items based on quality issues is neither unusual nor newsworthy, adding that the chicken sandwich was removed out of an “abundance of caution.”
A spokesperson for the Seattle-based company said the Food and Drug Administration did not issue a product recall, and NBC News reported that the FDA’s database did not include any official complaints about the breakfast sandwich.
