Patty Rodriguez

Patty Rodriguez

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Are 'Health and Wellness' Trends Affecting Frappuccino Sales?

The coffee giant, Starbucks, has announced that the sales of their popular drink - The Frappuccino - are declining. While the reason for the decline in sales is unclear, Starbucks seems to think the "health and wellness" trends are behind the dip. 

Starbucks says sales from the drinks that mix coffee, ice, syrup and milk are down 3 percent from a year ago. 

So that's where an educated conclusion can be made about why there is a decline in the amount of Frappuccinos that are being sold. Concerns about how much sugar the slushy drinks contain may be among the reasons: "These are oftentimes more indulgent beverages — higher in sugar, higher in calories," Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said during a presentation to investors this week. 

The amount of calories contained in a Frappuccino depends of course depends on the size of the drink. A 16-ounce Cupcake Creme Frappuccino has 400 calories and 63 grams of sugar. A Triple Mocha Frappuccino has 390 calories and 51 grams of sugar. That's a crazy amount of calories and sugar for just ONE drink. 

Many do believe that the health trends aren't the only reason for the decline in sales. Aggressive competition could be more of a factor. Rivals that offer frozen coffee drinks include McDonald's, Coffee Bean, Chick-fil-A and Dunkin Donuts.

On Thursday of this week, the coffee chain offered 50 percent off of Frappuccinos at participating locations. Could this be the secret to getting people to buy and consume more of the frozen, blended drink?  

For now, Frappuccinos still account for 11 percent of Starbucks' U.S. revenue. After years of growth, Starbucks is also struggling to boost overall sales and plans to slow its U.S. store expansion. The company said it will shutter 150 underperforming stores in places where it may be oversaturated.

What are your thoughts? Do you think health trends are the reason why Starbucks is seeing a decline in the sales of its Frappuccino? Could it be the cold brew is currently on top?  

The Frappuccino has been so popular that the specific drink even has its own verified Instagram account with over 1 million followers!

PHOTO: Getty Images

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