Boston, MA

The Boston Globe March 21, 2001,
Wednesday ,
THIRD EDITION SECTION: METRO/REGION;
Pg. B3

STARBUCKS PROTESTERS TARGET MILK HORMONE BYLINE:
By Mary Minihan

"Don't drink it!" protesters shouted to well-dressed business people cradling steaming cups of Starbucks coffee as they hurried to downtown offices yesterday afternoon. But those in search of a caffeine fix from the Court Street outlet were not put off by the environmental activists.

Protesters, members of the Clean Water Association, want customers to demand that Starbucks and other companies stop using genetically engineered ingredients such as bovine growth hormone. But inside the Starbucks outlet, laid-back afternoon coffee drinkers continued to sip lattes and mochas, while the manager stood by the window reading one of the protesters' leaflets.

Customer Leo Loeb said he has given up trying to keep track of chemicals added to food and drink these days. "My doctor told me to cut out too much salt and sugar, and I said, 'Doctor, it's impossible to eliminate these things' " Coffee drinker Kim O'Hare said her son, Max, who is almost 2 years old, has never tasted "real" milk because she is so worried about the addition of growth hormones. "But Starbucks also has soya milk so people have choices. It's not like they are being forced to have real milk," she said.

With a Dunkin' Donuts right next door, why pick on Starbucks? Westborough organic farmer Sue Anderson, who took part in the protest, explained: "We hope not just Starbucks but all businesses will stop using these practices." The event, organized nationally by Organic Consumers Association, was timed to coincide with Starbucks' annual shareholders meeting in Seattle yesterday. On its Web site, Starbucks' chief executive Orin Smith said it's not feasible for the company to avoid bovine growth hormones, which are present in virtually all US milk. He said once an alternative source of cow-based milk is available, Starbucks would offer it. He wrote that he expects that alternative by the end of the summer.