Claim: Evolution Fresh brand cold-pressed juices and smoothies are 'poison.'

Origin:In late February, an apparent hoax began circulating via Facebook claiming that Evolution Fresh brand cold-pressed juices and smoothies, commonly founds at Starbucks outlets, are "poison":

We found no evidence that Evolution Fresh drinks are "poison," nor that they are vended or produced "in Nigeria." According to the brand's official web site, most of the produce used in their manufacture is grown in California (and some of it in Arizona), and the product doesn't appear to be sold beyond the borders of the United States. Evolution Fresh products doe not appear in the FDA's database of food recalls.

It's unclear if the hoax was based on a 2013 news story about a Bay Area woman named Ramineh Behbehanian, who was accused of placing rubbing alcohol into two bottles Evolution Fresh drink, then switching the tainted bottles with others in a refrigerator at a San Jose Starbucks store. Behbehanian, a chemist, was initially charged with attempted murder and poisoning after tests by the San Jose Fire Department indicated the liquid in the bottles contained a lethal dose of rubbing alcohol.

However, subsequent lab tests ordered by the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office found that the orange juice bottles allegedly dropped off by Behbehanian contained vinegar (a non-harmful substance), so the district attorney's office declined to file charges against her.

We haven't yet heard back from Starbucks, but we could find no reports of recalls or instances of people being poisoned by the brand's drinks.

Originally published: 06 February 2017

Featured Image: FLICKR

Lee, Henry. "Arrest in Attempted Starbucks Poisoning." SFGate. 30 April 2013.

KPIX-TV [San Francisco]. "No Charges for Woman in San Jose Starbucks Alleged Poisoning Case." 24 May 2013.

Bethania Palma Markus is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for a variety of publications as a staffer and freelancer, including the Los Angeles News Group, the LAist, LA School Report, the OC Weekly and Raw Story. She is a huge fan of the X Files, because while she's not saying it was aliens, it was aliens.

Excerpt from:

Are Evolution Fresh Drinks 'Poison'? - snopes.com