In response to the milk scandal in China, the international coffee shop chain Starbucks has stopped selling all products that contain milk in its Chinese stores while launching new soymilk coffee products.

After the milk products of Mengniu, the cooperative partner of Starbucks, were found tainted by the chemical melamine, the cafe chain immediately stopped using milk in its more than 300 stores around China and the sales of products that contain milk were also suspended.

A representative from Starbucks said that it needed time to find a new milk supplier, so the company decided to use soymilk as a temporary substitute.

At the same time, KFC, another foreign chain that is supplied by Mengniu, also stopped selling Mengniu's pure milk products in its restaurants and said they would resume sales when Mengniu milk is officially confirmed to be safe.

However, the sales of milk products in McDonald's are not affected as the fast food chain said their milk was not supplied by any of the 22 Chinese milk producers that are involved in the scandal.

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1. By Midge – September 28th, 2008 at 1:37 pm

   And what about soy intolerant peoples who can not drink the starbucks filth in China? Starbucks and all other purveyors of these substances are just as guilty for not monitoring their suppliers and they should be ashamed for dealing with China in the first place until the country cleans up itself. Profit more important for starbucks then anything else.

2. By Guy – October 2nd, 2008 at 7:49 am

   Midge: what filth are you speaking of? Since you say "all other purveyors," I assume you mean anyone who makes a living selling coffees, teas, and other drinks. Midge, a company can put a medical scientist in every store to test every drop of latte sold, but eventually all profit will be erased. "Reasonably safe" does not mean there is NO risk, it means a reasonable person would say the risk is outweighed by the benefit. This is why there is a reasonable amount of rat excrement in peanut butter, a reasonable amount of spider bodies in chocolate, a reasonable amount of vomit, urine, and feces in every bite of chicken and meat you eat.

   Starbucks made an immdediate switch from dairy to protect its customers at a cost of millions of dollars. I suggest soy intolerant people refrain from lattes for the moment. Shipping milk from the American dairy industry, where they understand intolerable safety are corrected by lack of consumer confidence, which destroys the industry, would be beyond the cost-benefit.

   Before you get down on Starbucks, reasearch the coffee, cocoa, and tea industries. Their history is sordid and sad. Starbucks is possibly the first light to come into this dismal area. Don't believe me! Contact CAFE and Fair Trade, two independent nonprofit activism organization working for coffee farmers, and ask them.

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