Dubai Elephant dung coffee rumor quashed

Dubai Municipality’s fight against spreading false rumors resurfaced this week amid claims that the Starbucks chain was serving coffee containing elephant dung, according to UAE daily Khaleej Times.

The local authority’s message was in response to a newspaper article that claimed the coffee chain was importing products in the Gulf nation that contained elephant droppings, the report added.

But the municipality said there were strict control measures that prevented such products from entering the country’s local markets. As such, the report added, there was no coffee containing elephant excrement being sold at Starbucks in the UAE.

The newspaper added that the Food Safety Department contacted Starbucks for confirmation, adding, that the coffee in question was actually sold as a luxury product in other countries.

“They confirmed that this kind of coffee is not sold at any of its branches in the Middle East and Africa,” the spokesman told the newspaper.. “However, they do use this coffee at a few luxury hotels around the world. But the ingredient is not elephant stools, but rather a digestive enzyme found in the elephant's guts, that improves the taste of the coffee."

The UAE has strict laws governing gossip and spreading false information to protect the country’s reputation and security.