The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) demonstrated in front of a Starbucks coffee shop near the White House today along with cohorts from Friends of the Earth, the Center for Food Safety, and Co-op America, bringing its activist muscle to our nation’s capital. OCA leader Ronnie Cummins was on hand to denounce the restaurant chain for its refusal to accede to various demands. OCA has been trying to strong-arm Starbucks into reversing its positions on (1) genetically modified beans, (2) dairy products from cows raised with growth hormones, and (3) its financial arrangements with its South American trading partners. Cummins declared in front of the modest crowd that “the gloves are off” and insisted privately that “Starbucks is worried” about the damage done to its image in recent months. When asked if consumers should be left alone to vote with their pocketbooks on the question of whether Starbucks is behaving responsibly, Cummins replied, “Most consumers aren’t smart enough to know what they want.”
