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Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingMove over Venti Caramel Frappuccino with extra whip cream, Starbucks is now considering expanding its menu to better serve young children.
With recent deals with iTunes Wi-Fi Store and Hershey's chocolate, the crowd's getting younger.
While no one wants to feed babies and toddlers sweet caffeinated beverages, teens and families are now lining up. Kid friendly specialty drinks are currently limited to hot milk, hot chocolate and Babyccinos - a hot frothed milk drink.
With that in mind, the coffee giant may expand its menu to better include younger children. But calories and caffeine are a concern. Eliza Zeid, American Dietary Association, said, "With kids frequenting coffee bars and hanging out with their friends, it's no wonder kids are getting addicted to caffeine."
Consider a Venti Caramel Frappuccino with Whipped cream, that one drink has nearly as many calories as a Big Mac and more caffeine than four cans of coke.
In a report, Starbucks says it won't market to children directly, and that it would offer age appropriate beverages. Hopefully that means smaller, decaffeinated. and lighter in calorie drinks, which might be a good combination for us older folks as well.
There are no official guidelines for how much caffeine is safe for kids, but most pediatricians say to limit it to 200 mg a day or less, which is the equivalent to the caffeine in an 8 oz. cup of brewed coffee.
For little kids it should be a lot less, something like 60 mg.
