Starbucks to stop offering organic milk in February

Organic milk is scheduled to come off the Starbucks menu Feb. 26. The company has told employees: "If a customer requests organic milk, let them know that our milk is now rBGH-free." Earlier this month, Starbucks completed the switch to serving milk only from cows that were not given the artificial growth hormone. (Wall Street Journal)

Comments

[Vicki Verona]

All I can say is.....ITS ABOUT TIME.

We served fully pasteurized organic milk to make it shelf stable like soy milk. However, steaming organic milk released a nauseating smell!!

There were also quality issues because it is very hit or miss on which stores day-dot their opened organic milk. I once went to a store while I was on vacation, and when the barista poured the organic milk from the carton, it was like cheese.

Just want to point out that Creme Beverage Base LIGHT is being discontinued....clearly I'm sad about that.

And lastly, Almond is being discounted.

[neevan]

If you look, organic milk is already off the menu, as is Almond syrup and any mention of Crème Light.

I, frankly, don't care much. I've only made one organic drink, and this was for a customer who I think was passing through our town and not a regular.

Almond syrup is one of the best secrets of Starbucks. I had my first almond drink about a month ago and have loved it since.

I'll also be very sad about Crème Light being gone. I enjoyed my first "ookies 'n cream" Frappucino with CBB light, but oh well. What's a barista gonna do?

[meganc]

That's a bummer, and exactly the opposite direction than I'd hoped. I'm a customer, not a partner; and I guess I do understand Vicki Verona's comments/concerns about the quality; but I think if a huge company like Starbucks moved toward organic, the consistency and quality would only improve. I never ordered organic because it was only available in whole milk. I had hoped that the switch to 2% would mean 2% organic as well, but that wasn't the case.

I do prefer my milk to be rBGH-free, but organic milk cows also get organic feed and access to pasture; I don't think it's enough just to restrict rBGH. I'm disappointed.

That is great news, what about free roaming cows? small steps

Granted, we hardly ever make a drink with organic milk, BUT "organic" is NOT the same as "rBGH-free". I stopped buying a local dairy's milk for my family even though it was rBGH-free because it wasn't antibiotic free also! I don't think too many people are going to care since not many order Organic milk, and I'm glad they've at least gone to rBGH-free, BUT it really isn't the same! And anyone who knows their milks will know this.

I wish we would offer a PLAIN Soy Milk with less calories than the Vanilla. But since I don't drink dairy, Vanilla Soy is better than nothing!

[MusicGal]

I really could care less about the organic qualities of our milks! However, it is a pain to steam up a pitcher of the stuff, just like soy milk, cider, or, during Christmas time, eggnog.

I don't think the Creme light base will be a big loss...

I'm pumped for more fridge space....

[sbuxnewbie]

We generally tossed out more than we sold - the only customer that used organic milk on a regular basis got it in her brewed coffee, so the container was out dated weekly.

I think I've made maybe 3 organic milk lattes in the past 16 months.

On the bright side, the milk we've been getting from Hood has been rBGH free since I can remember.

This will cause a problem in Pennsylvania, however - the state has made it illegal for dairies to label milk as rBGH-free.

[djjs]

In fairness to the organic milk crowd: the Starbucks organic initiative always puzzled me because well, frankly, it seemed so half-assed. When they introduced it, they didn't really emphasize the availability either via in store info postings or having employees push it. Bigger problem: they never extended the organic across their whole range of milk! How ironic that, while organic drinkers are likely to be among the most health conscious, they never rolled out skim ... Only whole? In short, it was a move that seemed destined to fail, not so much because of the inherent nature of the product offered as because of the (lack of) quality behind the company's effort. I see this as yet another move down market, with the rbgh as a 'losers concession'

[Kittymoose]

rBGH does not mean organic. In my opinion, this is a step backwards. I agree with DJJS, organic milk should have been introduced and marketed better. People don't even know we have soy.

I'll agree with the other side though - not many people ordered organic. Not many people order soy.

My store sells a lot of organic milk. We have several customers who order it. We order a case every week and go through just about all of it. We've been letting those people know about the decision and they have been pretty teed off. And, no, I'm not in a very "health concious" area.

[sir jorge]

Great! It's finally going to be awesome over the BUcks!

[BURRISTA]

this may be kind of random, but how does one make the "Cookies n Cream" frappuccino that Neevan mentioned?

[imabarista]

bgh = bogeyman

non - issue

Antibiotics = Limit intake for children under 7.

Real issue.

Its a Java Chip with White and Dark Chocolate.

wouldn't that be Cookies n' Coffee n' Cream? Unless is Double ChocolateY chip with white and dark chocolate...

Next step: "Starbucks to stop offering whole, 2%, and non-fat milk; will replace with soy, almond, and hemp milk"

Not many people order soy? I hope that is only the case in the red states.

[zoom]

This is a cost cutting move for both the creme light and organic milk. Like many mentioned before, you just don't see many people order it, and more often than not, it ends up expired in the trash. I probably made less than 10 drinks with organic milk all this time....We can't cater to every single customers requests, unfortunately, without considering costs behind it. It's like ordering a tray of pumpkin loaf everyday for that one customer who buys one, but you mark out the rest. While you are enthusiastically satisfying 1 customer, profits will suffer. Since we don't manage our pastry case in this fashion, then we need to look at other areas of the business to do the same.

[CoffeeMasterZach]

It doesnt really bother me that much. I like that we are changing things up and getting rid or the things that make very little profit for the company. I would love to have rice milk added though. I am allergic to soy milk and I would love to use rice milk instead or regular milk.

[redbean]

I made a latte with the organic tetra-pak milk once and couldn't finish it. It had an odd smell and the taste was just...nasty. And I had just opened the carton and checked that it was within the use by date.

Is it the aseptic tetra-pak that ruins the taste? It goes through an ultra-high temperature processing so it can be stored at room temperature for a year but I'm not sure why they went with that when the rest of the milk is refrigerated.

Considering the HUGE shelf life of an un-opened Org milk tetra-pack, it seems a shame to not let the stores who actually sell it still keep it on hand... In 2 years I've never seen anyone here order it but still... As for the almond-not many people here order it but it just seems wrong-it's so classically Italian...Whattayagonnado???????

[Kate]

The only person who ever got organic milk at our store on a regular basis was a partner, and boy did he ever try and push that on the suggestions board.

Ah, well. I was actually surprised the other night when I had TWO separate organic drinks on one shift. All of our partners who've been there less than two months are stunned when they find out about our organic milk.

If I had my way, Starbucks would switch to only organic; two percent, whole, AND nonfat.

[Pat Nerr]

"And lastly, Almond is being discounted."

I guess they're not just chucking the human "chaff"... now they're cutting dead product lines as well. Still though... it used to be said that Almond, Vanilla and Hazlenut compliment the flavor of coffee and those others cover it up...

[pricecurious]

Hi,
Does anyone have the pricing for sm/reg/large lattes in ireland & uk?
i'm curious.

Next step: "Starbucks to stop offering whole, 2%, and non-fat milk; will replace with soy, almond, and hemp milk"

hemp milk was pitched to starbucks last year and they passed on it.

[Herman M.]

It's not the packaging, redbean, but the process that renders it shelf stable. Any milk that can be kept on a room temp shelf will have a bit of an odd flavor.

This one, however, reminds me of the shelf stable milk we were given in the field working for a "large government agency" in the early 90's. I've never understood why we would expect folks to pay more for something so horrid tasting.

Now, if we could source competitively priced local organic dairies for all our stores (not even remotely possible), I'd get behind that. Fresh organic milk, if nothing else, tastes yummy.

[Heather]

I am so sad about almond being discontinued! I love almond lattes. :(

[EZ E]

Personally, I worked in the dairy industry for 5 years and basically, ALL milk is the same after pastuerization. Both Pastuerized Organic and Conventional milk have the same taste, quality, and nutritional value. In addition, the organic milk we carry at Starbucks is Ultra Pasteurized - which means that the milk was heated at a higher temperature to promote only a longer shelf life. Personally, I like how Starbucks is cutting unnecessary costs.

ALL Pastuerized milk is the same. Check out more information for yourself at the National Dairy Council's Website...

[PAShift]

Our milk has never changed we carry the same milk that we have always had. I wonder if it is because we are in PA and it is illegal to label it as RGBH free. The dairy that it comes from is in Ohio tho and this brand of milk is not even sold in this area. Makes me wonder if it is really hormone free.

[Kathi]

rBGH is just the tip of the iceberg. Milk can be rBGH-free and still laden with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and other nasties.

To someone who asked a few posts ago about why Sbux organic tastes so nasty... heating milk to "ultra-high temperature" so it can sit on a store shelf forever will change the taste (and quite probably the quality and nutrition).

Milk is one thing that shouldn't be messed with. Period.

"Not many people order soy? I hope that is only the case in the red states."

We make a ton of soy lattes here in Texas. (and I'm not in Austin either)

[Bring Back Maple Lattes]

They actually have hazelnut? How come then whenever I try to order it they say they don't have it.

[Artymiss]

Please say it ain't so about almond! Almond is the only syrup that makes a hot soy latte drinkable. Otherwise they taste like cardboard. The iced lattes aren't great without almond either. But have you ever had an almond soy chai? Tastes like marzipan. Perfect when you're in the mood for something sweet... like I am now.

Does Starbucks still sell their syrups like they used to? If so, will I be able to buy almond?

[Kevin D.P.]

yep, you can totally still by syrup by the bottle. Go wild

[Kevin D.P.]

*er buy syrup by the the bottle

[Vicki Verona]

My advice to customers and partners who really love almond is to buy a bottle and bring it into the stores with you.

When cinnamon got discontinued, I had a whole display of it setup on a KD table (5 bottles) and it was gone in 3 hours. We have a couple of regulars who come in now and ask us to use it. I hooked them up with complimentary syrup pumps (as I do for all customers who buy bottles of syrups) and its perfect.

One of my partners loves cinnamon mochas, so she bought a bottle and keeps it in the back. Everyone is respectful to her and doesn't use it.

[conkles]

"Check out more information for yourself at the National Dairy Council's Website..."

I ask the American Mugger's Association for information as to which alleys are safe to traverse late at night since those guys know more about dangerous streets than anyone else. I guess that they might be able to make greater profits by giving me bad information, but why would they ever do such a thing?

[Neevan]

My tall "Cookies 'n' Creme" Frap:

Creme base to first line
2.5 p. WM, 0.5 p. H
1 sp. VB, 3 sp. chips
double blended

[Buck Star]

No more organic milk? The absence of recombinant bovine growth hormone does not equal well treated cows. This is a step backward. It is evident that the company, and the U.S., can't afford to organically raise cattle as we are headed into this recession. It sure was nice while it lasted! I look forward to uncle Howie bringing it back for my Christmas bonus next year.

Just as an FYI, syrup pumps are not complimentary, but if you insist on giving them out, please make sure your manager knows so they can order more when getting low.

[Vicki Verona]

I am aware of syrup pumps not being complimentary. I am the store manager and my DM knows about it. They cost a mere 79 cents so I figure its worth it when it comes to moving discontinued syrups out of my store, rather than just throwing them out or giving them away like most SMs do.

[Elizabeth]

no more almond? :( now i will have to drink straight lattes.

[EZ E]

RE: CONKLES

The NDC is a non-profit organization that holds the dairy industry accountable to safety and nutrition.. They are not muggers in a dark alley.

On another note, remember when Starbucks changed the milk standard from Whole Milk to 2%? Why was that? Here is my opinion - Becuase Starbucks saved money. After all, Whole Milk (3%)costs more than 2%, 1%, and Skim because of the milk's butter fat content. Although the differance in price from Whole Milk and 2% is "chump change" go ahead and think about how much milk Starbucks consumes and purchases daily. Therefore, the savings in change adds up to millions and a smart business needs to cut costs any way it can.

Speaking from personal experience, the reason for the change was because dairies started converting their plants to produce solely organic and rBST (rBGH) free milks only. By doing so prices have risen due to smaller dairy farm yields and the rise in transport costs.

Overall, by switching to 2% milk - Starbucks can sell the same drink for the same price, while using cheaper milk - creating profitbility...

Yeah No Organic Milk!!! Take that Grande half Organic / half soy latte guy. SWEET!

[Ohg Rea Tone]

Starbucks is a glorified McDonalds. A true barista understands the value of all ingredients.
Ohg
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/01/12/coffee-and-the-american-gourmet-experience/

[sk*nny bar*sta]

In my heart I agree with the anonymous post above, even though I'm sure the Grande half Organic / half soy latte is delicious. Organic drinks only seem to surface during a rush right after the paper order is put in front of the shelves in which the organic milk is stored. Also, I think I still don't fully understand how it can be stored at room temperature.

Soy is moderately popular at my store and we go through about a case every rush. Since I probably drink more at work than I should, I try to mix it up between soy, 2%, and non-fat.

"ALL Pastuerized [sic] milk is the same. Check out more information for yourself at the National Dairy Council's Website..."

or

"rBGH is just the tip of the iceberg. Milk can be rBGH-free and still laden with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and other nasties."

Considering the amount of dairy products I've consumed in my lifetime, and that I usually buy the less expensive products, I certainly hope that the National Dairy Council's Website is right (check it out for yourselves). Anyhow, the lack of certainty (at least to us lay people) is enough to remind us all to observe a little common sense: everything in moderation. As for me, I'm still running off those silly eggnog lattes.

[Jeff]

Conkles:

You made my night. That post still has me laughing, thanks :)

Ez E:

The National Dairy Council is an interest group formed by the dairy industry. They certainly aren't interested in holding themselves accountable and don't have our best interests at heart.

[Marcus]

I agree that they should offer regular soy milk instead of the sweet type they have. I tried switching from a grande latte to a soy, but it was way too sweet--the first time I had it I thought they had mixed up my drink with one that had syrup in it. I prefer not to consume any dairy in general, and the latte is the only part of my diet left where I have any, and it would be nice to switch to soy there as well.

[EZ E]

Anyways - Before milk is recieved into a processing plant samples are tested for high hormone, pesticide, and bacteria counts. IF a load of milk happens to have a high ammount of any of these things the load is immediatly rejected.

On another dairy subject: In some states where it is illegal to label milk as rBGH or rBST free it is because this hormone is naturally in milk. And to say that it is FREE of this hormone is untrue from the start.

The Hormone rBST is responsible for producing breast milk. Farmers inject their cattle with more of this hormone to promote higher milk yields from their dairy cattle. Nevertheless, there is no way to test if the rBGH (rBST) hormone has been added to cattle or not.