PETA Really Wants Starbucks To Stop Charging Extra For Non-Dairy Milk

PETA is certainly divisive, but it knows how to draw attention to itself. It's an organization that has protested The Westminster Dog Show with "master race" posters and launched a campaign to rid the English language of animal cruelty-free idioms. PETA's newest fight is on behalf of humans who are sick and tired of paying extra for non-dairy milk at Starbucks. Rather than launching yet another eye-catching public campaign, the group has chosen to infiltrate Starbucks and make changes from the inside, at a cost of $88.68.

PETA has announced it is now a shareholder in the Starbucks corporation, having purchased the minimum number of shares in the company required to submit resolutions and to attend and speak at Starbucks's annual meetings. In a press release, it claims that the surcharge for non-dairy milks in specialty beverages punishes the lactose intolerant, the ecologically minded who shun dairy to reduce methane-gas emissions, and those who object to dairy cows being "raped via an inserted syringe" in order to breed.

This isn't the first time PETA has employed this strategy to influence corporate America; it owns shares of companies that produce pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and various consumer goods.