Starbucks reworking baked goods

"Food has been the Achilles' heel of the company. . . . That statement will be long buried after we launch this program," Michelle Gass, Starbucks' executive vice president of marketing, told Reuters yesterday.

The ingredient changes, which also include removing preservatives where possible, will affect about 90 percent of the baked goods Starbucks sells and are part of the company's ongoing efforts to appeal to increasingly health-conscious consumers amid a tough recession that has damped spending on little luxuries like lattes.

The new campaign - which will be promoted with the tag "Real Food. Simply Delicious" - follows last year's health and wellness push that added food like oatmeal, smoothies, and a protein plate to Starbucks.

Oatmeal since has become the company's top-selling food item.

In 2007, Starbucks removed artificial trans fat from its food, changed its default milk used in beverages like lattes to 2 percent from whole milk, and limited to 500 the number of calories in its food items. The company also uses hormone-free milk.

Reworked baked goods that will debut at month-end include Banana Walnut Bread, a reduced fat Very Berry Coffee Cake that is 20 percent fruit, and an organic blueberry bar that was previously available only in the Pacific Northwest. .