Seattle coffee giant Starbucks has found themselves in their own summer of protest of sorts as their customers, actor James Cromwell, musician Paul McCartney, and PETA have protested or voiced their support for Starbucks to lower their charge on plant bases milks.
Previously, Cromwell superglued his hands to a Starbucks counter in Midtown Manhatten to protest the higher surcharge being passed on due to the higher cost of manufacturing the plant based milk. This type of protest was also reported in Chicago and Seattle
PETA, who has said the upcharge is non-negotiable, has claimed Paul McCartney has endorsed the protests to drop the upcharge with a letter that was originally published on Billboard.com: “My friends at PETA are campaigning for this. I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy.”
PETA issued their own statement, saying: “Cows used for dairy are forcibly inseminated (raped)—workers insert an arm into the cow’s rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into her vagina—and their beloved calves are torn away from them so that the milk meant to nourish their babies can be used by humans.”
New tactics
On August 19, 2022 protestors took to another tactic by adopting cement shoes to prove they’re not going to budge on this issue in front of a Nashville Starbucks.
They reportedly wore rubber boots so they could step out of the concrete when the police asked them to, but one individual refused, according to the New York Post and was arrested, and another was reportedly taken to the hospital for foot pain resulting from being in cement.
The protect shut down an entire street at West End Avenue, and drew over a dozen police cars, according to WSMV4.
While the company’s unionized employees support the protests as long as it doesn’t disrupt store functions, Starbucks offers a slash of alternate dairy milk but more than that can cost anywhere from $.50 to $1.
In general, alternate products like organic food, for example, cost more due to various hoops the producers have to jump through to prove they don’t have the various chemicals and other agents that have been linked to various diseases, while processed food many doctors have denounced is cheaper and is mass produced.
The same can be said for plant based products as they’re not as widely produced, and hence costs more.
What do you think about these protests and Starbucks charging more for alternative milk? Let us know in the comments below.
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