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Coffee giant Starbucks is facing an oat milk shortage across the US due to ‘high demand’.
The chain first trialed the plant milk, created by Oatly, in 1,300 US stores last year. Following its success, it was then rolled out nationwide last month.
‘High demand’
A Starbucks spokesperson told CNN Business: “Due to high demand, some customers may experience a temporary shortage of oat milk at their store.”
The spokesperson added that oat milk will be back on the menu ‘soon’ – but didn’t provide a specific time frame.
Starbucks oat milk
The push for non-dairy milk is part of the company’s Pathway to a Planet Positive Future initiative. It seeks to slash carbon emissions, water, and waste by 50 percent in the next decade.
“Our Planet Positive initiatives have a central role in our long-term business strategy, and directly address what our customers are asking for,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks chief executive officer.
“We are moving toward a more circular economy, and we are doing so in a very intentional, transparent, and accountable way.”
Vegan milk surcharge
Despite its vegan range – Starbucks still charges customers extra, in some locations, for choosing vegan milk.
An online petition created by vegan charity PETA calls on the chain to scrap the vegan milk surcharge. It has garnered more than 142,000 signatures at the time of writing.
“Starbucks should be encouraging customers to choose animal-friendly, vegan milks rather than cow’s milk,” the petition reads.
“Many other chains—including Wawa, Panera Bread, Pret A Manger, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Noah’s New York Bagels, Philz Coffee, and Costa Coffee—already offer dairy-free milk at no extra charge.”
You can sign the petition here
