Shark Tank India's Anupam Mittal Labels Starbucks Desserts 'Worse Than Tobacco'

Anupam Mittal, the founder of People Group, which owns Shaadi.com, has once again criticized Starbucks for the high sugar content in its coffee and desserts, claiming that the coffee chain is “probably more toxic than tobacco companies.” His comments follow Starbucks’ decision to replace its Indian-origin CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol on August 13.

Mittal Warns of Starbucks’ “Inevitable” Decline

Mittal, who is also a judge on Shark Tank India, expressed his concerns on social media platform X, stating that Starbucks is facing “continued value erosion” unless the company returns to its roots or reinvents its purpose. “Right now they are less of a coffee shop and more of a dessert store with criminal levels of disguised sugar making people sick,” Mittal wrote, comparing the company’s products to those of the tobacco industry in terms of potential harm.

Previous Criticism and Ongoing Concerns

This isn’t the first time Mittal has voiced his discontent with Starbucks. Last December, he labeled the chain as a “dessert store” rather than a coffee chain, pointing out the high sugar content in its offerings. He described Starbucks products as a “lethal combo” of sugar and caffeine.

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Alarming Sugar Levels in Starbucks Beverages

Concerns over the sugar content in Starbucks products have been raised before. According to an analysis by Business Insider, a Grande Starbucks cappuccino contains 12g of sugar, while the new Grande-sized Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino Blended Beverage has 69 grams—equivalent to over 20 teaspoons of sugar. One large Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino Blended Beverage contains 83 grams of sugar, nearly 21 teaspoons. Despite these alarming figures, Starbucks has declined to comment on these reports.

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