Starbucks Corporation announced on January 31, 2025 that starting February 15, 2025, “● Soy milk (soymilk) in beverage products to make it easier for customers to enjoy the rich taste of the product, uniformly at all Starbucks stores. 1 In order to make it easier for customers to enjoy the rich taste of soymilk, the company announced that it would change the price of beverage products from the current 54 yen/55 yen (to-go price/in-store price) to free of charge.
Many cafes offer the option to change to soy milk or other plant-based milk. However, Starbucks also required an additional 54 yen extra. The fact that these changes will be free may increase the number of people making the change.
As adults, we don’t seem to have as many opportunities to drink raw milk, but we consume large amounts of it in café lattes, café au lait, and cappuccinos.
The article on a heifer called Number 14, which clearly exposed the suffering of dairy cows, focused on delivering opinions to the café. While it is unclear whether or not Starbucks has responded (Starbucks in Japan has refused to discuss the issue with animal rights groups), this decision is very encouraging.
Starbucks has announced the following on their site We would love to see the plant-based option for rice paddies become free as well, to give us more choices.
Aiming to provide a richer experience in the future, we will continue to offer almond milk and oats milk 1 will also be considered for free of charge, based on the procurement status and other factors. Expanding the use of these plant-based milks is expected to curb CO2 emissions and water use, thereby reducing environmental impact and helping Starbucks achieve its goal of resource positivity.
