Neil Young Calls for Starbucks Boycott

Neil Young Announces Starbucks Boycott

The legendary rocker announced that he's boycotting Starbucks over the coffee monolith's alleged involvement in a lawsuit in Vermont regarding the labeling of genetically modified ingredients.

November 16, 2014 | Source: People | by

My my, hey hey, Neil Young's getting out of the black coffee.

The legendary rocker announced that he's boycotting Starbucks over the coffee monolith's alleged involvement in a lawsuit in Vermont regarding the labeling of genetically modified ingredients.

"I used to line up and get my latte everyday, but yesterday was my last one," Young wrote on his website earlier this week. "Starbucks has teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont, and stop accurate food labeling."

Young's referring to a law Vermont passed last spring that will require food labels to specify whether they're made with genetically modified ingredients by July 1, 2016. (Dairy, meat, alcohol and food served in restaurants are excluded.)

Four food industry organizations have filed suit against the state, including the Grocery Manufacturers Association – whose 300-plus-strong membership includes Starbucks and Monsanto – the Snack Food Assocation, the International Dairy Food Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.

"Monsanto might not care what we think – but as a public-facing company, Starbucks does," Young wrote. "If we can generate enough attention, we can push Starbucks to withdraw its support for the lawsuit, and then pressure other companies to do the same," he added, before expressing disappointment that Starbucks – whose past stances on LGBT and labor issues Young lauds – is "working with the biggest villain of them all, Monsanto."

"There's much more at stake here than just whether GMO foods will be labeled in a single U.S. state. Vermont is the very first state in the U.S. to require labeling," he said. "Dozens of other states have said that they will follow this path – in order to encourage this, we need to ensure that Vermont's law stands strong."