(NaturalNews) Though this immensely popular coffee chain often tries to blend in with the health crowd, pretending to be environmentally and nutritionally conscious, the Starbucks Coffee Company is an active member of a food organization fighting to keep you and your family in the dark about genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

It's true -- Starbucks is a dues-paying member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which is currently trying to sue the state of Vermont for passing a law that requires GMOs to be properly labeled. Starbucks and the GMA would rather continue hiding GMOs in processed foods than have to tell you that they're there and potentially lose business.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has put together a petition asking Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who says his company "has not taken a position on the issue of GMO labeling," to cut ties with the GMA and take a stand against this assault on people's right to know. But Schultz has yet to do this.

The GMA is also actively pushing a bill in Congress that would make it illegal for individual states to pass their own GMO labeling laws in lieu of national labeling requirements. Schultz has stated that his company prefers a "national solution" to the GMO labeling issue, but if the position of the GMA, of which his company is a member, is any indicator of what this actually means, then Starbucks opposes GMO labeling.

"As a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, (GMA) your membership dues support the GMA's work," reads the OCA petition. "The GMA's work includes filing suit against the state of Vermont to overturn its GMO labeling law, and working with Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) on a bill (H.R. 4432) before Congress that would preempt states' rights to pass GMO labeling laws."

You can sign the petition here:
Salsa3.SalsaLabs.com.

Starbucks continues to serve GMO milk to its customers

It isn't really all that surprising that Starbucks is taking a hands-off approach to the GMO labeling issue. The processed milk the company continues to use in its mochas, lattes and other drinks comes from GMO-fed cows, which means Starbucks is an active purveyor of GMOs. And like other members of the GMA, Starbucks is profiting handsomely from serving unlabeled GMO products to its customers.

"Cows living in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are fed a grain diet comprised almost entirely of genetically modified corn, soy, alfalfa, and cotton seed," explains GMO Inside. "These crops degrade the quality of our land and water, perpetuate corporate-controlled agriculture, and have potentially negative health impacts on livestock."

"Additionally, the overuse of antibiotics in industrialized farming is contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, putting us all at risk."

While Starbucks does serve milk that is free of the GMO growth hormone rBGH, as well as soy milk that is USDA-certified organic, the skim, low-fat and full-fat dairy products it serves are not. Whether the company chooses to change this or not will depend on how much pressure is applied by the public, and how many people choose to boycott Starbucks for its contradictory position.

"As the public has become more educated about the impacts of GMO-driven agriculture and the influence of Big Biotech--Monsanto, Dow, and Syngenta--over our food system, consumers are increasingly seeking out non-GMO products that fit into a sustainable lifestyle," reads a GMO Inside petition calling on Starbucks to switch to non-GMO milk products.

You can sign this petition here:
Action.GreenAmerica.org.

Sources for this article include:

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com

http://web.archive.org

https://www.organicconsumers.org

http://gmoinside.org

http://action.greenamerica.org