Starbucks has heard the cries of health-focused consumers: The company has announced that it's testing a lower-sugar version of its famous Frappuccino, according to news reports.
But here's the catch: This "slimmed-down" version still contains twice as much sugar as a candy bar.
Starbucks is testing a lower-sugar caramel Frappuccino in 600 stores in California, Missouri and Rhode Island, according to CBS MoneyWatch. A 16-ounce "Grande" size of the new drink has roughly 25 percent less sugar: It contains 49 grams of sugar, down from 67 grams in the original version, CBS News reported. The new version also contains 50 fewer calories than the original.
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But even in this "healthier" form, the sugar content in one of the new caramel Frappuccinos still exceeds the sugar content of many other infamously sugar-laden foods and drinks. For comparison, a 16-ounce regular Slurpee from 7-Eleven has about 36 grams of sugar, a 12-ounce can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar and a 1.5-ounce Hershey milk chocolate bar has 24 grams of sugar.
And a single lower-sugar Frappuccino will still put you well over the daily recommended amount of sugar: The American Heart Association says that adults should limit the amount of added sugars they consume to no more than 25 grams a day for women and 36 grams a day for men.
Originally published on Live Science.
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