OCA: Take Action

Search OCA:

State News & Activities:

OCA News Sections

OCA Resources

Sign the Starbucks Petition

As a concerned coffee consumer, I am upset about the current policies and practices of Starbucks.

I am upset that Starbucks is refusing to brew and serve Fair Trade coffee in its cafes on a weekly basis. As you know, wages and working conditions for small coffee producers and plantation workers who supply your company with its primary product are horrible. With Fair Trade coffee, growers get $1.26 per pound. With regular gourmet coffee, growers receive a fraction of that price. Most of the money goes to middlemen and not the grower. As you also know, shade-grown Fair Trade coffee is much better for the environment, helping to preserve biodiversity and the precious habitat of migratory birds and other creatures, as well as being safer for coffee workers.

I am also concerned with Starbucks purchasing of chocolate for your beverages and desserts. Cocoa is grown under labor conditions which violate the basic human rights of millions of farmers and farm workers, some of whom, are actually slaves. Fair Trade chocolate assures cocoa growers a fair price for the cocoa they grow.

 I am upset about the introduction of untested, unlabeled, and potentially hazardous genetically engineered ingredients -- without my knowledge -- into the foods that I consume and serve to my family.  I am dismayed to learn that Starbucks allows genetically engineered ingredients (soy and soy derivatives, corn sweeteners, etc.) in your coffee beverages, ice cream, chocolate, and baked goods.

If you cannot guarantee me in writing that you are moving to banish untested, unlabeled genetically engineered food ingredients from your brand-name products, brewing and promoting Fair Trade coffee in all your cafes on a weekly basis, and using and promoting Fair Trade chocolate--you leave me no choice but to boycott your products.

Sincerely,

Organic Consumers Association - 6771 South Silver Hill Drive, Finland MN 55603
E-mail: Staff | Activist or Media Inquiries: 218-226-4164 | Fax: 218-353-7652
Please support our work. Send a tax-deductible donation to the OCA

Fair Use Notice: The material on this site is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have an interest in using the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. The information on this site does not constitute legal or technical advice.