Starbucks offers 5 new ‘healthy’ breakfast items

updated 3:36 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2008

SEATTLE - Coffee retailer Starbucks Corp. on Wednesday began offering five new breakfast items in a bid to offer more "nutritious" options for health-conscious customers.

The new breakfast items include oatmeal, a chewy fruit and nut bar, an apple bran muffin, a multigrain pastry called the Berry Stella, a multigrain roll and a protein plate featuring a hard-boiled egg, whole wheat bagel, peanut butter, cheese and fruit.

The Berry Stella pastry was first introduced in July.

Starbucks said the new items contain no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup.

The retailer has been trying to energize its sales as traffic declines and consumers, pressed by high gas prices and the weak housing market, cut back on discretionary spending.

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