Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge! Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins Consumer and Farmer Victory! Monsanto Finally Forced to Dump rBGH The Miracles of MonsantoMonsanto announced on August 6 it will "divest" or sell off its controversial genetically engineered animal drug, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Monsanto's divestment of rBGH is a direct result of 14 years of determined opposition by organic consumer, public interest, and family farmer groups. Since its founding, the Organic Consumers Association has campaigned against this cruel and dangerous drug, pointing out to organic and health-minded consumers that rBGH-tainted dairy products pose unacceptable dangers to humans from increased antibiotic residues and elevated levels of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1. OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign has generated over a quarter million emails and petition signatures on the topic of rBGH, helping make rBGH one of the most controversial food products in the world. Learn more: organicconsumers.org/rbghlink.cfm Millions Against monsantoWe'd like to thank you and all our allies for taking part in this 14-year campaign and helping to bring one of the world's largest and most powerful corporations to its knees. Now let's break Monsanto's stranglehold over seeds and take away their mandate to force-feed genetically engineered food to an unwilling public. Help us push through federal legislation to require mandatory labeling and safety-testing of GMOs (genetically modified organisms.) Contact us with any other campaign ideas you may have: organicconsumers.org/aboutus.cfm#contact Learn more about the Millions Against Monsanto campaign: organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm Animal Welfare Victory! Court Rules Common Factory Farm Practices Are Inhumane CowsA landmark unanimous vote by the New Jersey Supreme Court will require more humane treatment of animals on factory farms. The case was originally brought to the Supreme Court by a coalition of organizations led by Farm Sanctuary, including the Organic Consumers Association. The decision, which is the first of its kind, could cause a domino-effect across the U.S. The court ruled that widespread factory farm practices, such as "tail-docking" or cutting off the tails of cattle, cannot be considered "humane" simply because they are considered "routine". Many states have a similar exemption to their cruelty code for "common" practices. The court's decision means these factory farm abuses will be reassessed, and if they are considered inhumane, they will be banned. "This decision will protect thousands of animals in New Jersey, and also calls into question some of the worst factory farm abuses practiced throughout the country," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for The Humane Society of the United States. Learn more: organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14067.cfm

GE soy, soy derivatives, corn sweeteners, and cooking oils. Patronize local, socially responsible businesses and products. If local coffee shops are brewing organic and Fair Trade coffee and avoiding GE ingredients, give your business to them instead of Starbucks. Look up your local Starbucks in the telephone directory and give them a call. Ask them if they intend to comply with the demands of the Organic Consumers Association. If not, tell them you will take your business to a socially responsible cafe. Call, write, fax or email Starbucks. Since we began this campaign last year, Starbucks has sworn off the use of GE coffee beans and has begun to address a number of other issues. But they still have a long way to go. Keep up the pressure. CONSUMER WARNING STARBUCKS OR FRANKENBUCK$? TAKE ACTION NOW! Go into a Starbucks coffee shop and talk to the manager or person in charge. Show them this leaflet and ask for written assurance that they will remove rBGH and other genetically engineered (GE) ingredients from their coffee beverages and their foods; that they will start brewing Fair Trade coffee as their "coffee of the day" at least one day a week; and that they will fulfill their pledge to pay a living wage to small farmers and coffee plantation workers. Ask your local Starbucks to brew you an individual cup of Fair Trade Coffee. If they refuse, let them know you will take your business elsewhere and send a complaint to Starbucks (see below). Ask Starbucks to show you what brand of milk they are using in your coffee or bottled Frappuccino and take note of whether it is labeled as rBGH-free. If you are ordering organic milk or soy milk with your coffee, tell them you think the 50¢ surcharge is outrageous. Ask if their baked goods are organic or free from DO YOU WANT Your coffee beverages and food to be free of genetically engineered ingredients and dangerous hormones? DO YOU WANT To support fair wages and living conditions for coffee farmers and plantation workers? IF SO HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT STARBUCKS Despite rising consumer concerns, most Starbucks outlets are still using milk from dairies where cows are injected with Monsanto's controversial recombinant Bovine Growth hormone (rBGH), a hormone often associated with higher risks for cancer. rBGH is a powerful drug which cruelly damages the health of dairy cows, forcing them to give more milk. Milk from rBGH-injected cows is also likely to contain more pus, antibiotic residues, and bacteria. rBGH is banned in nearly every industrialized country in the world — except for the US. Starbucks refuses to guarantee that the milk, chocolate, ice cream, bottled Frappuccino drinks, and baked goods they are selling are free of rBGH (also known as rBST) and other genetically engineered ingredients. Although Starbucks now offers non-rBGH organic milk and soy milk as an option in its US cafes, most customers are unaware of this. In addition, they are charging an extra 50¢ per cup for these safer, non-genetically engineered alternatives. Although Starbucks has bowed to consumer pressure and begun selling certified Fair Trade or organic coffee in bulk, they are still refusing to brew it on a regular basis. Many of Starbucks competitors, however, are already brewing Fair Trade and organic coffee daily. Starbucks boasts that they are a major purchaser of organic and Fair Trade coffee but organic and Fair Trade represent less than 3% of their sales. In 1995, Starbucks promised to pay a living wage to small farmers and impoverished workers on the coffee plantations of its suppliers. Ten years later, Starbucks has done little or nothing to meet this pledge. They claim to pay “top dollar” for their coffee, yet most of this money goes to middlemen, not the farmers or workers. Buying significant amounts of certified Fair Trade coffee would guarantee farmers a living wage. STARBUCKS CONTACT INFORMATION: Call: 800-235-2883 Fax: 206-318-0772 Write: Jim Donald, CEO Starbucks Coffee Company 2401 Utah Avenue South P.O. Box 34067 Seattle, WA 98134 Join the Organic Consumers Association and the growing Fair Trade Movement across the world. Talk to the person who handed you this leaflet to get involved locally. Keep informed on this campaign by visiting our web site at www.organicconsumers.org Organic Consumers Association Turn this leaflet over to see what you can do to pressure Starbucks to change its policies… 6771 South Silver Hill Dr. Finland, MN 55603 Telephone: 218-226-4164 Fax: 218-353-7652 campaigns@organicconsumers.org www.organicconsumers.org