The Christchurch Press (New Zealand) June 21, 2001

HEADLINE: NEWS STARBUCKS 'NOT PLAYING FAIR' BYLINE: LENNARD RACHAEL

The Green Party (New Zealand)is accusing Starbucks of using a new community volunteer campaign to cover up not using Fair Trade coffee.

Fair Trade spokesman for the Aoraki branch of the Green Party, Simon Gerathy, said sponsoring worthy campaigns deflected attention from the profits being made by paying low prices to coffee farmers.

Last week Starbucks announced employees would be paid to work for Youthline and Women's Refuge. Mr Gerathy believes the campaign is a public- relations spin.

He said Starbucks should be buying Fair Trade coffee which guarantees farmers enough money to survive on.

Starbucks general manager Aasha Murthy said Fair Trade coffee was still not available from Starbucks in the United States.

"As soon as it is available to Starbucks internationally we will be stocking it in all our stores," she said.

Mrs Murthy said Starbucks was globally involved with Fair Trade and was committed to helping develop communities and schools in coffee-farming areas.

She said New Zealand was not a primary producer of coffee, so the only way Starbucks could contribute to the community was in the manner it was now doing.