Paul McCartney’s letter to Starbucks

Sir Paul McCartney, 79, has recently learnt that the coffee chain is raising prices for plant-based milks such as soy, oat, and almond – and the Beatle can’t stand it.

So, in an open letter he wrote with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, McCartney — who owns numerous houses in the United States — calls out CEO Kevin Johnson of the Seattle-based corporation.

“My PETA pals are lobbying for this,” McCartney said in the letter, which was first published on Billboard.com. “I genuinely hope that you are able to adopt this policy for the sake of the planet’s future and animal welfare.”

Johnson is said to be retiring on April 4, forcing McCartney to make an 11th-hour plea.

“I just discovered that Starbucks in the United States charges an additional fee for plant-based milks as opposed to cow’s milk,” the Wings frontman said in the message.

“I must admit, this startled me,” he added, noting that Starbucks outlets in the United Kingdom do not charge an extra for milk replacements. “I would like to respectfully suggest that you examine this policy in Starbucks USA as well.”
Starbucks has been asked by The Washington Post to disclose their reaction to the letter.

McCartney’s letter comes only days before his May 2 and 3 concerts at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

A bloody cow is outside of @Starbucks’s HQ today! 🐄💔

Why?

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During Starbucks’ annual shareholder meeting, we’re urging CEO Kevin Johnson to put his money where his mouth is and #EndStarbucksVeganUpcharge! pic.twitter.com/mttMC64rEZ

— PETA (@peta) March 17, 2022

“Paul is in a bit of a COVID-19 bubble on the tour as any cancellation would be a huge problem,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk told The Post in an exclusive statement, “so instead of going out to a Starbucks with PETA to give away soy lattes, he decided to pitch in by personally writing to the company.”

“Even the name of the location is a reminder that cow’s milk production contributes to global climate change, which Starbucks should support,” Newkirk added.

McCartney and company have long been recognised for their animal rights and environmental advocacy. Since the 1970s, the iconic musician has been vocal about his vegetarian diet, as has his first wife, the late Linda McCartney, to whom he swore to continue fighting for animals after her death.

In 2010, McCartney voiced a campaign film for the animal rights organisation Glass Walls, which strives to expose the inhumane treatment of cattle on farms and in slaughterhouses. Meanwhile, Stella, their daughter, has pioneered the eco-fashion area and has collaborated with PETA on several anti-fur advertisements.

More recently, McCartney asked world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2021 to incorporate the Plant-Based Treaty into the Paris Agreement, which would see their countries migrate away from animal-based food businesses.

According to the University of Oxford’s Global Change Data Lab, eliminating dairy milk from our diet would offset the enormous amount of natural resources required to produce it — 10 times as much land and two to twenty times as much fresh water — while reducing its one-quarter or more of the carbon footprint.