Food & Water Watch – The “Smoke and Mirrors” of an Activist Group

Terry Etherton

A friend forwarded the email below, which was distributed by Food & Water Watch, an activist group at the forefront of the effort to have Starbucks adopt rbST-free milk.

Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:34:55 -0500 (EST)
From: Food & Water Watch <fwwatch@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Subject: Starbucks still needs to do MORE!

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Yesterday, Reuters and several other news sources reported that Starbucks had decided to switch to milk produced without the artificial growth hormone rBGH.

We’re really excited to hear about the company making progress towards being totally artificial hormone-free – but there is still more to do. Right now, the company has committed to switching in several states, which would mean that 37 percent of their milk comes from cows not treated with artificial hormones.

This is excellent progress and shows that they are feeling the pressure created by your emails and phone calls. Good work!

Now we need to keep the pressure up to make sure that they finish the job and get their entire supply switched over to better milk.

Click here to send Starbucks an updated email urging them to finish the job and go completely artificial hormone-free!

Thank you,
Lauren Guite
food@fwwatch.org

This email is telling in that it clearly conveys that activist groups are going to continue their campaign of spreading misinformation about rbST, and targeting Starbucks. They have been actively pushing Starbucks for five years using these campaigns, and others that are intended to tarnish Starbucks’ brand name and market value on Wall Street.

It is unfortunate that Starbucks caved to these Luddites. Starbucks’ policy disregards extensive scientific proof that there is no difference in the milk from cows receiving rbST and any other milk (see Terry Etherton Blog on Biotechnology). Instead, Starbucks seeks to build its brand on the hysterical claims of activist groups that say this milk is bad for people to drink. The truth is that Starbucks cannot demonstrate there is a difference between the milk it plans to serve and the milk it served before.

It is important to appreciate that the first publication of Starbucks’ new rbST-free milk policy was made December 5, 2006. It was not made on Starbucks’ website BUT on the Food and Water Watch blog site. Starbucks’ position became more widely known after Reuters published Starbucks’ shameful position in January, 2007.

Starbucks’ decision threatens dairy farmer access to beneficial FDA-approved technology that makes them more profitable and efficient at producing healthy, affordable milk. It also conveys to the public the notion that there is something wrong with the milk they drink. The fact is that all milk is the same. Moreover, well conducted consumer surveys show that there is no increase in consumer demand for rbST-free milk! Unfortunately, what continues unchanged is the “smoke and mirrors” campaign of anti-biotech activists who attack technological innovation, scientists, and the scientific method.

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