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It’s awesome that Starbucks offers so many delicious vegan milk options—such as coconut, soy, oat, and almond milk—but customers shouldn’t have to pay extra to get dairy-free milk in their drinks.Charging customers more for vegan milk discriminates against the 95% of Asians who are lactose intolerant or refuse cow’s milk because of personal or religious beliefs.
Franchise owners can make their own decisions about their stores and should allow customers to opt for healthful, dairy-free, animal-friendly milk without being penalized. Starbucks stores in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and elsewhere offer at least one vegan milk option at no additional cost. Other franchise stores—such as those in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand—could implement the same changes.
In addition to avoiding dairy because of lactose intolerance or other health concerns, many people are going vegan in order to protect the environment and help animals.
Environmental Impact
Cattle, including cows used for dairy, account for roughly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Oat milk, on the other hand, requires 90% less water, uses 80% less land, and can result in emissions of up to 80% less greenhouse gas when compared to cow’s milk. Charging people more for choosing eco-friendly vegan milk is also at odds with Starbucks’ 2030 “planet positive goals” of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water withdrawal by 50%.
Cruelty
Cows produce milk to nurture their own babies. But those in the dairy industry are confined on factory farms, and their beloved calves are torn away from them within hours after birth. Although a cow’s natural life expectancy is about 20 years, cows exploited for their milk are worn out after four or five years of being constantly pregnant or lactating, at which point they’re sent on a frightening journey to slaughter.
For all these reasons, the chain’s stores must stop charging customers extra for choosing dairy-free milk.
Please use the form below to urge Starbucks franchise owners to end the vegan milk upcharge.