Rules For Activists

Note to Food and Water Watch & Reminder to Starbucks - Activists Should Stop Masquerading
By Alex Avery

Five years ago, the Organic Consumers Association had Starbucks squarely in its sights. They were running a "frankenbucks campaign," protesting the company's annual meeting and were undertaking an effort to prevent Starbucks from selling or using any milk produced from cows receiving supplemental bovine growth hormones (rbST/ rbGH). Starbucks made the correct decision to not be cowed by the OCA and continue to serve safe and affordable conventionally-produced milk, while offering consumers organic milk produced without the aid of these safe supplements as an alternative.

What happened? Well, Starbucks stores stocked up on organic milk anticipating the huge demand that activists claimed existed. The organic milk, like all national organic brands, was ultra-pasteurized for extended shelf life. Unlike your local conventional, normally pasteurized milk with a shelf life of about 14 days, these U-P organic brands can last weeks. Stonyfield Organic claims their milk can last up to 70 days before the stores have to stop selling it. Even with the extended shelf-life, Starbucks managers across the country reported that they were throwing away far more organic milk than they were selling, so most stores no longer offer it even as an option. The company tells us that the decision to offer an organic milk alternative is now left up to individual stores. Starbucks offers organic soy juice alternatives instead. All of this really puts a dent in the OCA's "consumers are demanding organic milk" argument.