Paul McCartney Urges Starbucks to Stop Charging More for Non-Dairy Milk Drinks

For the vegans, the vegetarians and the lactose-intolerants, there are plenty of non-dairy milk alternatives available today. However, they tend to cost more. Paul McCartney has written a letter to Starbucks urging the company to nix their surcharge on their plant-based milk drinks.

According to Billboard, the Seattle-based coffee franchise implements a $0.70 up-charge on plant-based milk alternatives, such as oat, almond, coconut and soy milks. The legendary musician addressed Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson in a letter, expressing his disdain for this monetary penalty.

"It recently came to my attention that Starbucks in the USA has an extra charge for plant based milks as opposed to cow’s milk. I must say this surprised me as I understand that in other countries like U.K. and India, there is the same charge for both types of milk and I would like to politely request that you consider this policy also in Starbucks USA," McCartney wrote.

"My friends at PETA are campaigning for this to happen and I have agreed to support them with the quote: 'Sir Paul is asking Starbucks to end its surcharge on plant milks,' and I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy."

Food Dive notes that plant-based milks often cost twice the amount as dairy milks, but they're more expensive than dairy because of the processes and the packaging involved in producing and selling them. Plant-based milks have seen a decent growth in consumption over the last few years, whereas dairy milks haven't experienced a noticeable growth at all.

In 2021, a company acting as Starbucks sent out a press release, stating that they would be ending "dietary racism" in 2022, according to Business Insider. However, Starbucks confirmed that they hadn't written the press release. "While there's no single factor in pricing decisions we expect costs to come down as the supply chain for plant-based options matures," former COO Roz Brewer said in 2020.

But the up-charge has remained the same since.

McCartney has been vegetarian since 1975 and has been an advocate against animal cruelty for many years. He, along with his daughters Stella and Mary, launched the Meat-Free Mondays campaign in 2009, which allows consumers to calculate how ceasing to eat meat and dairy for one day a week will positively impact the environment.