Dear Iowa Friends of the Organic Consumers Association,

Here is a letter from Ronnie Cummins, (a real swell guy &) OCA National
Director, followed by an AP article on the national Starbucks protest and a
letter from Orin Smith, Starbucks President and CEO (sent March 16th, this
past Friday - full of lies & excuses about rBGH)) in reply to the Feb. 14th
letter from Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association, Joe Mendelson,
Center for Food Safety, Larry Bohlen, Friends of the Earth, Grahame Russell,
Rights Action, Ellen Hickey, Pesticide Action Network & Jim Slama, Sustain.

Best,
Ericka Dana, OCA Iowa
(319) 685-4270 <[log in to unmask]>

NOTE: We have 5 locations in Iowa - if you can participate, please contact
me ASAP. Noon Tuesday 3/20 - tomorrow! - is the scheduled time, but anytime
you choose is fine if you want to head up an action in your area. Please cc'
Tom Taylor < [log in to unmask]> at OCA HQ on all correspondence. Thanks!!
----------
From: [log in to unmask]
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Starbuck$ Campaign STILL On For Tomorrow

Note from the OCA: We and our coalition partners are happy to see that
Starbucks is starting to take our national and international campaign
against them seriously. They still are refusing to state categorically that
they will, as soon as possible:

(1) Remove rBGH and all genetically engineered ingredients from their entire
product line (milk, ice cream, bottled coffee drinks, chocolate, baked
goods);

(2) Start brewing and seriously promoting Fair Trade coffee (including
making it the coffee flavor of the day) in all their cafes;

(3) Take a pledge never to use genetically engineered coffee beans;

(4) Agree to start raising the wages and improving the working conditions of
the workers on the coffee plantations of their suppliers in Guatemala and
other nations of the world.

Until Starbucks agrees in writing to meet all of these demands, we will not
sit down and negotiate with them the details of how they will implement this
program. Rhetoric and statements of intention are easy, what we want to see
from Starbucks are clear and unequivocal commitments to action. When they do
agree to meet these demands we will be happy to sit down and talk.

In other words the Frankenbuck$ campaign will go forward until Starbucks
meets all of our demands.

Ronnie Cummins,
National Director, Organic Consumers Association
http://www.purefood.org/Starbucks/starbucks.html
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> Starbucks To Change Milk Product
> By ALLISON LINN
> (c) The Associated Press
>
> SEATTLE (AP) - Starbucks Coffee Co. has begun efforts to serve only milk
> free of genetically modified ingredients such as bovine growth hormone,
> the company president said Friday.
>
> The Food and Drug Administration has said milk containing bovine growth
> hormone is safe for human consumption.
>
> But the company was more concerned about public perception than health
> concerns, said Orin Smith, Starbucks' president and chief executive.
>
> ``If I've got 10 percent of my customer base that's concerned about this
> issue, I'm concerned,'' Smith said in an interview late Friday.
>
> Starbucks, a coffee and specialty drink maker, is one of the largest milk
> users in the country, with 2,758 stores nationwide.
>
> Six groups wrote a letter to Smith last month, demanding that the company
> take all genetically modified organisms out of its food ingredients.
>
> Ronnie Cummins, campaign director for the Organic Consumers Association,
> said Starbucks was targeted because it uses so much milk in its products
> and the groups are confident Starbucks customers are concerned enough to
> respond to their campaign.
>
> Activists still planned to target the company Tuesday, the day of the
> Seattle-based coffee maker's annual shareholders meeting.
>
> Regarding Starbucks' announcement, Cummins said, ``It sounds like a good
> first step. I'd love to see that in writing.''
>
> He said the organization will continue to fight for all Starbucks products
> to be GMO-free and organic.
>
> ``I think their customers are going to demand it, and if they don't do
> what we're asking them to do, they're going to suffer in terms of their
> reputation and eventually in terms of their bottom line,'' Cummins said.
>
> Bovine growth hormone, also known by the scientific name of recombinant
> bovine somatotropin (rBST), is injected in cows to increase the amount of
> milk they produce.
>
> Critics off such biotech products hold that too little is known about
> their health and environmental effects.
>
> The FDA has tried to ease public anxiety by proposing a mandatory review
> process for new genetically engineered foods. The new guidelines would
> require companies to notify the FDA of new biotech products at least four
> months before they are to be put on the market.
>
> Smith said the company was hoping customers would be given the choice of
> growth hormone-free milk by late this summer.
>
> AP-NY-03-16-01 2210EST
>
> ***************************************************************
>> Starbucks States Positions on Activist Issues
>>
>> SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2001--Starbucks Coffee Company
>> (Nasdaq:SBUX) responded today to several activist groups, including the
>> Organic Consumers Association (OCA). These groups have asked Starbucks to
>> address their concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in
>> Starbucks products, the promotion and sale of Fair Trade Coffee in
>> Starbucks locations and the company's commitment to origin countries.
>>
>> Following is the text copy of the letter that Orin Smith, president and
>> chief executive officer, sent to these groups:
>>
>> March 16, 2001
>>
>> Mr. Ronnie Cummins
>> Organic Consumers Association
>> 6114 Highway 61
>> Little Marais, MN  55614
>>
>> Mr. Joe Mendelson
>> Center for Food Safety
>>
>> Mr. Larry Bohlen
>> Friends of the Earth
>>
>> Mr. Grahame Russell
>> Rights Action
>>
>> Ms. Ellen Hickey
>> Pesticide Action Network
>>
>> Mr. Jim Slama
>> Sustain
>>
>> Dear Messrs. Cummins, Bohlen, Mendelson, Russell, Slama, and Ms. Hickey:
>>
>> Your February 14, 2001 letter raises a number of important issues which
>> are also of concern to Starbucks. We were disappointed that Mr. Bohlen
>> declined the invitation extended by Dennis Stefanacci, Starbucks senior
>> vice president for Corporate Social Responsibility, to meet with us
>> face-to-face. You have expressed concern about some very complex social,
>> economic and environmental issues that impact us all, and do not lend
>> themselves to simple solutions. We had hoped to share with you our
>> policies and actions on these issues and to explore how we could work
>> together to achieve those things to which I think we may both be
>> committed. Your refusal to meet unless we have categorically agreed to all
>> your demands signals to us that you may be more interested in using
>> Starbucks as a public forum to express your views than in working
>> cooperatively for constructive solutions.
>>
>> We still welcome the chance to have a face-to-face meeting. However, in
>> the meantime, we are responding to your letter in writing, as you
>> requested.
>>
>> We appreciate the concerns you express on the effects of GMOs on human
>> health and the environment. Starbucks first priority is to provide high
>> quality, safe products that fit into our long-standing commitment to
>> address the social and environmental effects of our business. As with
>> virtually every other retailer of food products, Starbucks must rely on
>> governmental agencies charged with food safety responsibility to determine
>> what foods are safe for human consumption, unless there is a substantial
>> body of evidence which contradicts agency positions. We, therefore, have
>> concluded that the products offered in our stores are safe either because
>> they have been approved by government agencies or conform to governmental
>> regulators.
>>
>> Nevertheless, Starbucks recognizes that some of our customers may be
>> concerned about GMOs, even in the absence of any evidence of harm to the
>> public, and that there will be increasing public debate on the GMO issue.
>> It is unfortunate this debate did not occur before so much of the U.S. and
>> world food supply was made to contain GMOs. As it now stands, as much as
>> 70% of the products sold in supermarkets and more than 95% of the milk
>> supply may have GMOs. Because Starbucks does not produce these goods and
>> does not have control over their supply, we are not in a position to give
>> immediate assurances that we can offer only GMO-free goods. In fact, that
>> was one of the reasons we asked to meet with you -- i.e., to discuss how
>> we might work together to seek constructive solutions to this complex
>> issue.
>>
>> In the meantime, Starbucks has been, and continues to be, responsive to
>> potential concerns about GMOs. We have examined our entire product line to
>> determine GMO content and to study alternatives where they exist. We have
>> clearly established that our core products, coffee and tea, are completely
>> free of GMOs and are not derived from genetically modified sources. The
>> soymilk that we offer in our stores is certified organic, and therefore
>> GMO-free. As to our remaining products, there is no labeling requirement
>> in the U.S. that obligates producers to disclose the presence of all
>> genetically modified ingredients. Nevertheless, we believe most other
>> products we offer are GMO-free and will continue to work with our existing
>> suppliers or alternative suppliers to assure this is so.
>>
>> We also understand you have particular concerns about rBST (recombinant
>> bovine somatotropin) in milk products. The U.S. Food and Drug
>> Administration, World Health Organization, American Medical Association,
>> National Institute of Health and regulatory agencies in 30 countries take
>> the position that milk from cows supplemented with rBST is no different
>> from milk from untreated cows.
>>
>> However, again we recognize that some of our customers have concerns about
>> the presence of rBST in milk products. Therefore, we are taking measures
>> to address those concerns. As soon as we have an alternative source of
>> supply, Starbucks will begin to offer rBST-free milk as an option upon
>> request, just as we currently offer soymilk as an alternative in our
>> beverages. We expect that the rBST-free milk alternative will be available
>> in all our company-owned U.S. stores by the end of this summer.
>>
>> Currently, 25% of our milk supply is rBST-free. Ultimately, we hope to be
>> able to offer all of our milk products rBST-free. However, even though
>> only about one-third of dairy herds are injected with the synthetic
>> hormone rBST, the USDA advises that, at the current time, significantly
>> less than 5% of the commercially produced milk can be certified as coming
>> from rBST-free herds because of the bulking processes used within the milk
>> industry. Without an adequate source of rBST-free milk, we cannot make
>> immediate changes. However, we are already discussing with existing
>> suppliers what we can do to ensure the remainder of our supply is
>> rBST-free and will push for a solution.
>>
>> You applaud our decision to sell Fair Trade Coffee in our stores, but
>> insist that we do more. Starbucks has made an enormous commitment to the
>> goal of improving the lives of farmers and their families in the countries
>> where we do business. Our decision to work with TransFair USA, the
>> certifying agency for Fair Trade products in the U.S., to sell Fair Trade
>> Coffee in all our company-owned stores, is one way we have chosen to meet
>> that commitment. Since October 2000, we have offered our stores as a
>> platform for the promotion of Fair Trade Coffee and the education of
>> customers about the coffee and its benefits to coffee farmers and their
>> families. Not only is Starbucks the largest coffee company in the U.S. to
>> offer Fair Trade Coffee, our efforts have been recognized, publicly, by
>> Paul Rice, Executive Director of TransFair USA, who has stated that
>> "Starbucks high-profile support for Fair Trade sends a powerful and
>> visionary message to the rest of the coffee industry -- that the plight of
>> small coffee growers cannot be ignored." We continue to work closely with
>> TransFair USA to achieve our mutual goal of ensuring that the farmers in
>> coffee-origin countries receive a fair share of the price paid for their
>> coffee.
>>
>> Some of the steps we have taken recently to increase the sale of Fair
>> Trade Coffee in Starbucks stores include:
>>
>> --  The decision to continue to offer Fair Trade Coffee on an ongoing
>> basis in all of our stores year round;
>>
>> --  Working with TransFair and others 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" in our stores. As with all our coffees,
>> customers can always obtain brewed Fair Trade Coffee at any time upon
>> request;
>>
>> --  Initiating a second major promotional and educational campaign this
>> spring to revitalize our customers' interest in Fair Trade Coffee by
>> featuring that coffee prominently in our company-owned stores in the
>> United States, and by providing educational and informational materials
>> about its origins;
>>
>> --  Either selling Fair Trade Coffee, brewing it, or both on 18 college
>> and university campuses in the United States, while negotiating with many
>> other colleges, hotels and other businesses across the country to do the
>> same.
>>
>> Selling and promoting Fair Trade Coffee is only one way that Starbucks is
>> addressing its commitment to raising the standards of health, education,
>> safety and economic well-being in the communities where we do business.
>> Starbucks has partnered with Conservation International (CI) to improve
>> the lives of the people who grow shade-grown coffee. One such project is
>> called Evergreen - a fund established by CI and EcoLogic Enterprise
>> Ventures, Inc. with a loan guarantee provided by Starbucks -- that will,
>> for the first time, provide small-scale coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico
>> with low-interest loans. In the first year of this project, we are already
>> seeing concrete financial benefits to those farmers, including 40% average
>> increase in participating farmers' income. In addition, later this year,
>> we will be announcing a major partnership with CI to promote and sell
>> organic Shade Grown Mexico coffee on an ongoing basis in all our stores.
>> As is the case with Fair Trade Coffee, these programs ensure that farmers
>> are paid a fair price for their coffee, as well as promoting
>> environmentally friendly growing practices.
>>
>> Finally, you asked us to provide evidence that we have implemented a code
>> of conduct for our coffee suppliers. To clarify, Starbucks has not
>> developed a supplier "code of conduct." Rather, in April 1998, in
>> conjunction with the human rights activists and social justice
>> organizations, Starbucks developed a Framework for Action which specifies
>> guidelines for activities to improve the lives of people who grow, harvest
>> and process the coffee that Starbucks buys.
>>
>> We believe we are the only coffee company in the world to agree to such a
>> Framework. We continue to comply with that Framework through a variety of
>> activities such as the partnerships with TransFair USA and Conservation
>> International, as well as many other projects around the world that
>> encourage more sustainable coffee growth methods and directly improve the
>> lives of the coffee farmers and their families, including:
>>
>> --  Grants to Enterprise Works Worldwide, which helped farmers build two
>> coffee processing facilities in Guatemala, enabling a cooperative of 700
>> farm families to improve their economic situation by milling their own
>> coffees;
>>
>> --  Funding a two-year project in Costa Rica to provide books and school
>> supplies for more than 30,000 elementary school students in 382 rural
>> schools;
>>
>> --  In Panama, providing support to Colegio San Benito, a junior high
>> vocational training school to educate 130 children from some of Panama's
>> poorest families each year;
>>
>> --  Building and equipping a health clinic in East Timor in an area that
>> had no medical assistance.
>>
>> Starbucks takes seriously its commitment to the communities it serves both
>> here in the United States and throughout the world, and is dedicated to
>> continuing our role as a responsible and caring corporate citizen in all
>> the regions and countries that we touch. We appreciate your efforts on
>> behalf of consumers, coffee farmers and the environment. However, we
>> believe the complex issues that you raise cannot be unilaterally resolved
>> by Starbucks simply agreeing to positions that are acceptable to you. If
>> you are serious about having a major impact on these issues, rather than
>> simply using protests against Starbucks to publicize your cause, we urge
>> you to meet with us to discuss these issues in detail and to work
>> cooperatively with us on solutions upon which we can both agree. We
>> reaffirm our willingness and desire to meet with you as soon as is
>> mutually agreeable.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Orin C. Smith
>> president and chief executive officer
----------
Posted by:

Ericka Dana
Organic Consumers Association Regional Coordinator
http://www.purefood.org
http://www.purefood.org/Starbucks/starbucks.html
Managing Editor, Iowa City Area Sierra Club News
Iowa City Area Group Sierra Club Executive Committee
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ia/icag/
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter Executive Committee
 http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ia/
Iowa Green Party Agriculture Committee
Director, Midwest Anti-Drift Coalition
http://www.StopDrift.org (under construction)
http://www.IowaFarmer.com/000617/drift2.htm
Catnip Farm, Iowa County
(319) 685-4270 <[log in to unmask]>
Mail Order: Box 72, Victor, IA 52347
http://www.catnipfarm.com
http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=87&hit=1
----------
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