Rochester, New York

Starbucks Protest On Monroe Ave. Part Of A National Campaign
Brian Falk iKnowRochester
03/20/01

Rochester, NY - Some local activists gathered outside of the Starbucks coffee shop on Monroe Avenue and Oxford Street in Rochester Tuesday to protest the cafe chain's policies on genetically modified foods. The protest, cosponsored by the Monroe County Green Party and the Rochester Fishberries, was one of over 100 similar events at Starbucks locations all over the U.S. and Canada Tuesday, organized by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA).

The protests coincided with the annual shareholders' meeting of the Starbucks Coffee Company, at its Seattle, Washington, headquarters. The OCA protests -- and the local protest -- had to do with Starbucks' use of genetically modified foods. According to the OCA, Starbucks has refused to guarantee that its dairy products do not come from cows injected with the recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), and has neglected to brew or "seriously promote" Fair Trade certified coffees in its cafes. Fair Trade is an international labeling organization that guarantees agricultural products come from plantations that offer fair wages to workers. The OCA wants Starbucks to use only rBGH-free dairy products, offer customers brewed Fair Trade coffees in all of its cafes daily, and promise to never serve genetically modified coffees once they become available.

Eric Bradshaw, of the Rochester Fishberries, organized the Starbucks protest on Monroe Avenue. He supported the OCA's demands Tuesday and said, "We'll be giving information to the general public from now on until Starbucks changes their policies." Bradshaw was joined outside the Monroe and Oxford Starbucks by some 15 protesters from noon to 2:00 p.m. Tuesday. The group included members of the Monroe County Green Party, the Rochester Fishberries, the Politics of Food Program, and others. Protesters carried signs, handed out literature to Starbucks customers and passersby, and encouraged honks of support from passing motorists.

Business at Starbucks did not appear to be affected by the protest. In fact, several customers watched the protesters from the store's windows while sipping their lattes. Starbucks offered literature of its own for customers, regarding its use of Fair Trade coffees, and provided a March 16, 2001 letter from Starbucks president and CEO Orin C. Smith, addressed to members of the OCA. In the letter, Smith discussed the issues at the center of Tuesday's protests. In regard to rBGH, Smith said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in addition to many other regulatory bodies, have deemed milk from rBGH-injected cows safe for humans. He said 25 percent of the milk served by Starbucks is rBGH-free, and that the company will offer rBGH-free labeled milk "by the end of this summer." Smith also said Starbucks would like to serve only rBGH-free milk, but that such a change could not be immediate due to the abundance of rBGH milk on the U.S. market. rBGH -- sold by Monsanto Company under the brand name Posilac -- was approved by the FDA in 1993. The hormone is injected into cows to boost their milk production at many dairies in the U.S. Bradshaw referred to the OCA's complaints that no studies have been conducted regarding the long-term effects of rBGH in humans. He also pointed out that rBGH can give cows swollen and infected udders, which can increase the amount of bacteria in their milk.

Bill McLane of Rochester -- a daily Monroe Ave. Starbucks patron -- said he was not aware that the cafe's milk contained rBGH before Tuesday. But he said it would be a good idea for the company to offer customers an rBGH-free alternative. "I prefer not to have Bovine Growth Hormone in my milk," McLane said. In addition to handing out literature, protester Allison Clark, a local member of the Politics of Food Program, was serving free Fair Trade certified coffee to anyone who stopped by. Inside, Starbucks offered free samples of its own Fair Trade coffee. The chain currently sells Fair Trade coffees in bulk, but only brews them upon customer request. According to Smith, Starbucks is working with suppliers, "to source an adequate supply of high quality Fair Trade coffee to enable us to provide brewed Fair Trade Coffee as one of our 'Coffees of the Day.'" The OCA's demand that Starbucks promise never to use genetically engineered coffee -- if it becomes available -- was supported by the local protesters. Bradshaw said, "Even scientists don't know what they can do to you because there's been no long-term testing on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)." Smith said none of Starbucks current coffee or tea products contain GMOs.

However, the OCA wants the company to take a public stand on the issue. While Tuesday's protesters raised issues that pertain to the entire U.S. food industry, Bradshaw said Starbucks was targeted because it is the largest coffee retailer in the U.S. He also said, "They've made many statements in the past on how many good programs they support, so we want them to hold true on those statements." Bradshaw was optimistic about the protests' goals Tuesday. "I think we're going to win," he said. "I think Starbucks is going to take Bovine Growth Hormone milk off their shelves, I think they're going to take genetically modified organisms out of the foods they sell, and I think they're going to start brewing Fair Trade coffee."