The sanctity of your Ham & Cheddar Artisan Breakfast Sandwich has been besmirched and Starbucks will not stand for it. The coffee giant has filed a $4.8 million dollar lawsuit against a NJ-based meat provider claiming they supplied inferior ham products instead of the Black Forest variety the company had paid for. Do not mess with Starbucks over ham, bro.
Wellshire Farms—not to be confused with Hillshire Farms (GO MEAT!)—was contracted by Starbucks to provide special ham for the chain's breakfast and lunch sandwiches but allegedly did not reveal that their ham was actually produced by a Maryland-based company called Hahn Bros. Inc. Following several customer complaints of "discolored" and unusual-tasting ham in 2010, Starbucks investigated the ham and discovered the bait-and-switch allegedly carried out by Wellshire.
The Seattle-based company pulled the icky sandwiches and conducted a laboratory test, which discovered "potentially harmful bacteria" in a ham sample. Despite "pleading" with Starbucks to retain their services, Wellshire was booted as a supplier and then slapped with the multi-million dollar lawsuit to "minimize the financial impact of these actions." Wellshire denies any wrongdoing on their part, but once you've burned the Green Giant there's no going back.
