NEW YORK—Starbucks’ breakfast and lunch ham sandwiches have spurred a number of complaints regarding discoloration and spoilage. After a two-year dispute, the Seattle coffee chain launched a lawsuit against its Black Forest ham provider, Wellshire Farms Inc., reported USA Today.
The suit states that instead of producing its own ham, Wellshire has been supplying a lesser quality ham from a Maryland business called Hahn Bros. Inc.
The New Jersey-based company, Wellshire, rejects the claim.
The lawsuit states the complaints began in September 2010, but Wellshire claimed the 2010 complaints were isolated incidents.
“This revelation from Wellshire came several months after the complaint began,” states the suit, which was transferred Monday to a federal court in Camden, N.J., after it was filed in the state of Washington in July.
The contract between Starbucks and Wellshire began in 2008, according to MeatPoultry.com.
Starbucks asserts it has lost more than $4.8 million over this issue. The sandwiches, assembled by the contractors, were sold at Starbucks stores across the United States and Canada.
