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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2014

CONTACT: Katherine Paul, 207.653.3090, Organic Consumers Association

FINLAND, Minn. –  The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has joined GMO Inside in a campaign calling on Starbucks to convert its milk purchases to certified organic milk.

“Starbucks is perpetuating the unsustainable model of industrial and GMO agriculture,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s national director. “Approximately 75 percent of all GMO crops are used to feed livestock, including dairy cows. By switching to organic milk, Starbucks could set the industry standard while at the same time contributing to the growth of a more sustainable, and more humane, dairy industry model.”

Starbucks is the largest coffee chain in the world, with 20,100 stores, and annual sales of $14.9 billion. CEO Howard Schultz is worth $1.6 billion.

Starbucks uses more than 93 million gallons (2011 figures) annually of non-organic milk from factory farms. Where animal abuse and unhealthy practices run rampant.

The OCA has been pressuring Starbucks for 12 years to change its policies and practices around organics and fair trade. Yet apart from one victory—in 2007, when in response to consumer pressure Starbucks agreed to stop using milk containing Monsanto's Bovine Growth Hormone—the company has largely ignored consumer demand for organic.

That’s an unhealthy diet for animals. And an unsustainable model for agriculture.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action.