Starbucks

The company provides a high-level disclosure of its key purchased proteins. In its 2024 Annual Report, Starbucks highlights that it purchases significant amounts of dairy and states that meats and eggs are also significant to its operations. The company does not mention seafood, but its exposure appears to be low. Seafood does not appear on its current menu in the US, although it does appear in other locations, for example, the tuna melt panini in the UK.

Starbucks set a goal to eliminate the routine use of Medically Important Antimicrobials (MIAs) in poultry served in its company-operated US stores by 2020. This goal aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommendations for the use of MIAs in poultry but does not extend to the use of MIAs in other animal protein supply chains. The company achieved this goal in 2018, but has made no further commitments or policies to reduce the use of antibiotics in other animal proteins. In its 2024 Global Impact Report, Starbucks reported that 100% of poultry served in its US company-operated stores was raised without the routine use of MIAs. In its Animal Welfare-Friendly Practices, Starbucks established a buying preference for dairy, meat, and eggs in North America that are produced using industry best practices, which supports eliminating the routine use of MIAs for growth promotion and disease prevention. However, the company has not introduced any additional policies to further consolidate this commitment.

Starbucks' goal to eliminate the routine use of MIAs in poultry is specific to its company-operated US stores. This represents approximately 25% of its global restaurant footprint. Starbucks does not have a specific policy on antibiotic use for any of its animal proteins, other than poultry. However, the company does have a buying preference for dairy, meat, and eggs where antibiotics have not been routinely used, though no specific targets are disclosed. Starbucks states that this buying preference is limited to North America, with the goal to extend these US standards globally. This has not changed since the previous phase of the engagement.

The company annually discloses the percentage of its poultry that is raised without the routine use of MIA for its US company-owned stores. The company does not publicly report that it collects information on the volume of antibiotics used in its supply chain for any of its other key proteins or locations.

Starbucks provides some evidence that third-party audits are carried out on its animal welfare conditions for broiler chickens but there is no evidence that audits are carried out on its antibiotic use.

In its 2024 Global Impact Report, the company discloses that it continues to serve poultry in US company-operated stores that has been raised without the routine use of MIAs. Outside of this statement, the company does not provide any evidence that it is tracking levels of non-compliance. It also does not disclose how it manages non-compliance related to this policy. As part of its ‘Animal Welfare-Friendly Practises’, the company states that if any issues occur in its supply chain, its approach is to work with the suppliers to correct the issues, but that it will also consider pausing transactions until a resolution is found. The company has not stated if similar actions would be taken for non-compliance with its antibiotic policy for poultry supplied to its US company-operated stores. This has not changed since the previous phase of the engagement.

The company does not have any forward-looking time-bound targets for antibiotic use.

The company does not have any forward-looking time-bound targets for antibiotic use.

The company does not have any forward-looking time-bound targets for antibiotic use.