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Starbucks will no longer offer organic milk

Posted at 4:11 PM on 15 Jan 2008

Photo: gisarah

Starbucks will cease offering organic milk to its coffee-quaffing customers at the end of February. The company has offered organic cow juice since 2001 at an extra charge, but "orders of drinks made with organic milk have consistently been a small percentage of total orders," according to a spokesperson. The chain has stopped using milk from cows shot up with artificial growth hormone; says a Starbucks memo to employees, "If a customer requests organic milk, let them know that our milk is now rBGH-free." Organic milk is also rBGH-free, but additionally requires that cows have access to pasture and eat pesticide-free feed.

source: The Wall Street Journal (access ain't free)

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Comments: (6 comments)

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If you're drinking coffee from Starbucks...

...in the first place, it's already obvious that you don't care much about the environment, or animals, or where the coffee comes from. So no wonder many people don't order organic milk.

If I share initials with 'Global Warming', is that a sign?

by tico89 at 6:33 PM on 15 Jan 2008

Go Soy!

If you want to avoid BGH, order soy milk! I'm not a vegan, but I love the stuff, even if it comes at a higher price. BTW, I don't understand the vitriol directed toward Starbucks in the above comment - it's completely unsubstantiated! At least Starbucks offers recycling for multiple types of materials and gives big bucks to the Democratic Party.

by lakatosc at 11:06 AM on 16 Jan 2008

lakatosc...

I don't live in the United States, I live in a developing country largely dependent (though not as much as it used to be) on coffee exporting. Therefore, allow me to assure you that my 'vitriol' is not completely unsubstantiated, as I base it on the conditions of coffee-growers rather than the support Starbucks may or may not give to the Democratic Party.

If I share initials with 'Global Warming', is that a sign?

by tico89 at 3:50 PM on 16 Jan 2008

One of the Few

I guess I was one of the few who always ordered the organic milk in my chai - and found stores that didn't have it in stock. Disappointing that Starbucks didn't just decide to go all out and go organic for all their milk. But going rBGH free is a good step - I hope others follow them.

Maybe it was the $.50 for 2 tbsp of milk that made most people not choose the organic option. It was a bit steep.

by ecojill at 10:56 AM on 23 Jan 2008

Coffee Blues

As steeply priced Starbuck's coffee is, it seems as if their customers should receive milk from cows that haven't been fed pesticides...FOR FREE! Maybe they should just order smaller quantities of organic milk.

by marnie at 2:56 PM on 23 Jan 2008

unfortunate, not surprising

i was among those who ordered organic milk the select times i chose to drink starbucks. did anyone recognize the organic brand they were using, or its origins? perhaps if they had publicized their organic milk offering as they do with their seasonal drinks, it may have been more recognized and demanded. and yes, $0.50 is too steep a price. do they at least use organic soymilk? which begs the question where are the soybeans coming from...ultimately, all we can hope for is that the farmers, animals, and land are treated fairly and justly in the process, regardless of which products are involved.

by elamps at 9:43 PM on 24 Jan 2008

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