*To Generate Significant Media
Coverage
Bring attention to this issue that will change corporate
practices, and build synergy among food safety, Fair Trade and
environmental activists.
*To Pressure Starbucks to
--- Brew and heavily promote fair trade coffee
---Fulfill their promises to improve working
conditions on the coffee plantations of their suppliers in Guatemala
and around the world.
---Remove rBGH and all GE ingredients from
their entire line of foods and beverages, and to pledge never
to use GE coffee in the future.
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Tips for Taking Action
(1) Keep leafleting, but after you or others organize an initial
media event in your community, carry out your actions unannounced.
One tactic that works is, show up at a Starbucks location, preferably
at their most busy time(s) of day. Go inside and see if they
are brewing Fair Trade coffee as the "flavor of the day"
and listing this fact prominently where customers can see it.
See, if you can, what kind of milk behind the counter they¹re
pouring into their lattes and mochas. If they¹re not yet 'doing
the right thing,' discreetly give all the customers in the cafe
a copy of our Frankenbuck$ Consumer Warning leaflet and then
walk out and do the same thing (or have a friend do the same
thing) at another location. Standing outside and leafleting
customers is still a good tactic, especially out in front of
Barnes & Noble bookstores (which have Starbucks inside) or in
the Student Center cafeterias of college campuses, which have
Starbucks outlets.
(2) Call every Starbucks café in your community on a regular
basis. Have your friends do the same thing. Ask the manager
or the person in charge if today they are brewing Fair Trade
coffee as the Flavor of the Day and advertising this fact to
their customers. Ask them what kind of milk, skim milk, and
half and half they are using, and if they have a written statement
from the dairy that these products are free of genetically engineered
Bovine Growth Hormone. Ask them the same thing about their chocolates
and baked goods. If they answer your questions in the negative,
tell them you are going to boycott them until they do what consumers
are demanding. Tell them the name of the coffee shop where you
will take your business instead. If they claim they are doing
the right thing today, go down to their café, or have someone
you know do this, and see if they are telling the truth. If
you are a coffee drinker and need a fix, request that they brew
you a Fair Trade coffee, but tell them to hold the rBGH milk
please. Vegetarians should keep in mind that Starbucks claims
it will supply organic soy milk for your coffee upon request.
(3) Complain to retailers that sell Starbucks products that
the company has not implemented the changes which consumers
are demanding.
(4) Get your school, college, or city council to pass a resolution
that they will serve Fair Trade or organic coffee, avoid foods
contaminated with GE ingredients, and avoid doing business with
sweatshops‹whether they be factory sweatshops or agricultural
sweatshops in the field.
If you need Starbucks leaflets or other campaign materials
call our national office (218-226-4164) or send an email to
loranda@organicconsumers.org
You can also save us money by downloading and printing your
own leaflets and posters from our website (Action
Packet) and making copies.
If you need coaching or advice on how to carry out Starbucks
campaign activities contact Starbucks campaign coordinator Simon
Harris.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support
the campaign, send your contribution to: Organic Consumers Association
6101 Cliff Estate Road Little Marais, MN 55614 As you can well
imagine this campaign is costing us a lot of money.
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Preparation/Background
*Know why you are protesting
at Starbucks and have a clear message drafted, e.g. "We
are calling on Starbucks to promote fair trade coffee, fulfill
their promises to improve working conditions on coffee farms,
remove GE ingredients, and rBGH from their stores and pledge
to never use GE coffee in the future.
*Explore this website thoroughly to learn more
information about this campaign, hazards of GE foods, rBGH,
and Fair Trade Issues
*Look over the sample press packet containing
information sheets and a press release. We encourage you to
make extra copies to hand out to reporters. Please review the
list of local contacts we are including and check to see if
there is anyone that we left out.
Note:
If you cannot afford the copying costs, please call us
for an okay ahead of time and we will reimburse you for the
cost of additional materials.
ACTION
---Be able to answer
logistical questions about the event.
---Two people to hand
out literature to Starbucks customers.
---Leaflet before,
during, and after the event.
---This is not just
a one day campaign – the OCA and our allies intend to keep up
the pressure on Starbucks until we win all of our demands
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COLORFUL SIGNS – some suggestions
---"Genetically Engineered
Food: Unlabeled, Untested and You’re Eating It!
---"SAY NO TO BGH"
---"STOP THE EXPERIMENT - NO GENETICALLY
ENGINEERED FOODS"
---"NO SWEATSHOP COFFEE"
---"I'LL HAVE A FAIR TRADE COFFEE WITHOUT
HORMONES, PLEASE"
---"NO FRANKENLATTES"
---"FAIR TRADE COFFEE & NO FRANKENLATTES"
---"FRANKENBUCKS: GRANDE PROBLEMA"
---Enlarge Consumer Alert posters – black and
white – and color with markers.
Can be downloaded from our website
or use the copies we sent you.
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SPEAKERS –
---Designate someone as the MC (introductions,
chants, moving things along)
---Variety of Speakers
---Write out speeches, at least key points, beforehand (OCA
staff can help)
