Junkscience.com -- 'Shame on Starbucks' Letter Campaign

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Voice your disappointment that Starbucks Corporation caved in to anti-technology extremists!
Send the letter below or create your own.

Last Name: 25 characters, required field First Name: 25 characters, including inititials or title, optional field State: 15 characters, state name/abbreviation or International, required Zip Code: 5 digits, required and validated for U.S., ignored for International E-mail: 25 characters, required field Comments:

March 2001

Mr. Orin C. Smith
President and Chief Executive Officer
Starbucks Corporation
2401 Utah Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134

Dear Mr. Smith:

I am writing to express concern about your recent announcement that Starbucks' would 
remove products produced with modern biotechnology, including milk from dairy cows 
supplemented with growth hormones, from your stores.

Your action is unfounded, and harms consumers and the environment.

In 1994, former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop called upon food retailers to act responsibly 
in the face of extreme fringe group attacks on the safety of milk from cows supplemented with 
protein-based growth hormones.

Dr. Koop noted responsible companies could "play an important role by assuring consumers 
of the safety of the milk supply, by providing the facts on bovine growth hormone to interested 
customers, or by referring them to credible health and nutrition authorities." Dr. Koop added, 
"It is necessary to condemn these attacks on the safety of milk for what they are: baseless, 
manipulative and completely irresponsible." A copy of Dr. Koop’s statement is attached.

Starbucks should step up to the plate as a responsible corporate citizen and meet Dr. Koop’s 
challenge. Consumers deserve choice and accurate information.

Starbucks’ recently responded to the extreme activists’ pressure by noting that you "hope to be 
able to offer all of our milk products rBST-free." This suggests  you may not continue to offer the 
same safe and affordable conventionally produced milk that you have always provided. I hope 
this is not true.

Please let me know if it is your intention to provide only certified organic dairy products, 
or if you intend to provide both certified organic alternatives, and the safe and more affordable 
conventional milk that you currently provide.

Please do not contribute to the vast misinformation campaigns being spread by the extreme 
activists.Milk from cows supplemented with protein-based growth hormones, which naturally 
occur in all cows, is the same safe, nutritious milk. In addition, dairy producers who use these 
supplements are maintaining their economic viability,helping maintain stable, affordable milk for 
consumers and protecting the environment.

Unfortunately, increasing your purchase of organic milk will increase, not decrease environmental 
burdens.

Dairy producers who use these supplements produce as much as 15 percent more milk with the 
same number of cows. That translates to using less water, land and fuel. These producers help 
reduce waste streams and soil loss. They do this while maintaining their economic viability and 
supporting stable, affordable milk prices for consumers.

In the U.S. alone, use of these supplements could reduce water irrigation by 700,000 gallons, save 
1.7 million acres of land used for feed and grain, save 240,000 gallons of fuel, reduce nearly one 
million metric tons of manure and reduce 5.3 million tons of soil loss per year.

Your responsible support for this safe product helps protect consumers, the environment and 
family farmers.

Thank you for your consideration

____________________________________

Attachment

Statement of C. Everett Koop
On The Introduction of Supplemental BST
February 6, 1994

"Milk from cows given supplemental bovine somatotropin is the same as any
other milk. So, there should be no doubt in the minds of consumers that the
milk they drink is just as safe, nutritious and wholesome as it has always
been. Every issue and every question about BST has been thoroughly and
carefully studied by the federal government and several independent
scientific institutions. Consumers can continue to enjoy milk and dairy
foods with complete confidence.

"Unfortunately, a few fringe groups are using misleading statements and
blatant falsehoods as part of a long-running campaign to scare consumers
about a perfectly safe food. Their long-range goal is to prevent the
benefits of biotechnology from reaching the public. Because dairy foods are
an important, widely consumed source of nutrition, it is necessary to
condemn these attacks on the safety of milk for what they are: baseless,
manipulative and completely irresponsible.

"Even worse are attempts by some persons to use school children as pawns in
their opposition to BST. Any suggestion that milk from BST-supplemented cows
is unsafe for children to consume at school, or home, is a potential threat
to their health and well being. We should be reenforcing the message that
all dairy foods, when consumed as part of a varied and balanced diet, are
healthful - and not burden our children with unwarranted fears about food
safety.

"Supermarkets and dairy processors can play an important role by assuring
consumers of the safety of the milk supply, by providing the facts on BST to
interested customers, or by referring them to credible health and nutrition
authorities.

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