Neil Young writes angry letter to Starbucks

by Tyler Munro

November 17, 2014

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Neil Young has made a career advocating for the little guy. An outspoken environmentalist, he’s long been a voice for farmers, so it’s no surprise that he’s taken issue with Starbucks, a chain he once regularly frequented, for their support of Monsanto, the undisputed face of ecological evil.

I used to line up and get my latte everyday, but yesterday was my last one.

In an open letter to the popular coffee chain, Neil Young asks coffee consumers to boycott Starbucks over their support for Monsanto’s lawsuit against the State of Vermont, which seeks to abolish fully disclosed labelling of genetically modified food. Vermont is the first state to require that genetically modified organisms be fully labelled on food and drink products.

“Starbucks doesn’t think you have the right to know what’s in your coffee. So it’s teamed up with Monsanto to sue the small U.S. state of Vermont to stop you from finding out,” writes Young in his letter. “Hiding behind the shadowy ‘Grocery Manufacturers Association,’ Starbucks is supporting a lawsuit that’s aiming to block a landmark law that requires genetically modified ingredients be labeled.

The problem? Starbucks says they aren’t supporting Monsanto at all.

In a statement issued in response to Young, a testament to the enduring respect he’s earned as an activist, in which they say no, they aren’t supporting Monsanto.

Starbucks is not a part of any lawsuit pertaining to GMO labeling nor have we provided funding for any campaign. And Starbucks is not aligned with Monsanto to stop food labeling or block Vermont State law.

The petition claiming that Starbucks is part of this litigation is completely false and we have asked the petitioners to correct their description of our position.

Starbucks has not taken a position on the issue of GMO labeling. As a company with stores and a product presence in every state, we prefer a national solution.

Here’s Neil Young’s letter in full.

I used to line up and get my latte everyday, but yesterday was my last one.

Starbucks has teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont, and stop accurate food labeling.

Tell Starbucks to withdraw support for the lawsuit — we have a right to know what we put in our mouths.

Starbucks doesn’t think you have the right to know what’s in your coffee. So it’s teamed up with Monsanto to sue the small U.S. state of Vermont to stop you from finding out.

Hiding behind the shadowy “Grocery Manufacturers Association,” Starbucks is supporting a lawsuit that’s aiming to block a landmark law that requires genetically-modified ingredients be labeled. Amazingly, it claims that the law is an assault on corporations’ right to free speech.

Monsanto might not care what we think — but as a public-facing company, Starbucks does. If we can generate enough attention, we can push Starbucks to withdraw its support for the lawsuit, and then pressure other companies to do the same.

Vermont is a small, entirely rural state with just 600,000 people. It’s a classic David and Goliath fight between Vermont and Monsanto. Considering that Starbucks has been progressive on LGBT and labor issues in the past, it’s disappointing that it is working with the biggest villain of them all, Monsanto.

There’s much more at stake here than just whether GMO foods will be labeled in a single U.S. state. Vermont is the very first state in the U.S. to require labeling. Dozens of other states have said that they will follow this path — in order to encourage this, we need to ensure that Vermont’s law stands strong.

That’s why Monsanto and its new allies are fighting so hard to kill GMO labeling in Vermont.

But whatever you think of GMOs, corporations should not be using massive lawsuits to overturn legitimate, democratic decisions with strong public backing.

SumOfUs is already fighting back — they helped Vermont raise almost a quarter of a million dollars to defend themselves against Monsanto’s bullying! Help them by going to SumOfUs and registering to donate or sign a petition. The next strategic step is to pressure and call out members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the shadowy body leading the lawsuit. Your backing can help.

Add your voice now. Tell Starbucks to stop supporting the lawsuit against Vermont.

Thanks for caring!
Neil Young
Nov 9, 2014
Vancouver BC Canada

[h/t Stereogum]

Tags: Music, News, neil young

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