Starbucks has a solid history of working with PETA to reduce suffering for animals used for food and to offer its customers cruelty-free options. So when we heard that the nation's premier coffee chain had begun using beetle juice to color its Strawberries and Crème Vegan Frappuccinos, we knew something was amiss.

We went straight to the source. True to form, Starbucks committed to making the switch back to a plant-based colorant.

It will soon be Starbucks vegan strawberry Frapps all 'round at PETA headquarters in celebration of the settling of the Frappaccino flap by what PETA calls "a corporation with a conscience." We appreciate that Starbucks clearly learned from its error, and since no one, vegetarian or not, wants beetle juice in their Frapp, we are glad that everyone will soon be able to celebrate the fact that it's gone for good.

I'll drink (a Strawberries and Crème Vegan Frappuccino) to that.

PETA NEWS ON TUMBLR

Dancing goats, Alec Baldwin, and Etch-A-Sketch—you never know what delights you'll find on PETA's Tumblr page.

• You won't be down with down after you've seen this.
• This cat must have had 19 lives.
• You can sketch your perfect body—and get it!
• Watching the video of this dancing goat will make you feel like a kid again.
• Starbucks is giving vegetarian and vegan foods a starring role in its new startup.
• A woman was grossed out to find a chicken feather in her McNugget, but chicken flesh is just as unappetizing.
• We love him on 30 Rock, but Alec Baldwin's new project really rocks—he's taking on circuses' abuse of elephants in a video for PETA. 

NEW FEATURES

• Will it be chickens or condoms? Seals or a Ghostface killer? Who's your favorite PETA mascot?

NEW ACTION ALERTS

• A new bill in Ontario would strip the Ontario SPCA of its ability to remove animals from abusive situations and file charges against the abusers. Tell the members of Provincial Parliament to oppose this dangerous legislation.
• It's time to defeat another "ag gag" bill. Nebraska is now trying to shroud its factory farms in secrecy.
• A county in Maryland wants to use bowhunting, one of the cruelest forms of hunting, to "control" deer populations. Please share PETA's tips for humanely managing deer with the county's lawmakers.

I'll take a Venti soy mocha Frappuccino with no whip, please. (Oh, how I've longed to utter those words.) Apparently, Starbucks has been getting all those requests that I've been stuffing into its suggestion boxes, because it's introducing vegan Frappuccinos nationwide starting May 5!

Grande Vegan Mocha Frappuccino © Quarry Girl

Frappuccinos − dairy = frozen dream come true. And did I mention that Starbucks also carries yummy vegan cookies? Sweet.

Via Quarry Girl

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

shopvafinest / CC

The following is a guest post from PETA Living's Mylie.

Yes, you read that right: Starbucks now has vegan cookies. As if Starbucks weren't already super vegan-friendly simply by offering soy milk, now it has something that you can dunk in that soy latte. Among a plethora of new healthy snacks it's carrying, like fruit and nut bars, granola, and fruit snacks, Starbucks is now carrying vegan and allergy-friendly Lucy's cookies.

When Dr. Lucy Gibney, the mastermind behind these delicious cookies, learned that her child suffers from severe food allergies, she decided to do some serious cookie research to find a recipe that would be safe for her little one to enjoy. What she stumbled upon led her to create her very own recipe for cookie success! What's even sweeter than vegan cookies at Starbucks? You can now enter to win a case of them in our contest.

So, what are you waiting for? Pick some up today on your lunch break and share our contest on Facebook with your family and friends!

Written by Mylie Thompson

Pop quiz—Tokyo's bustling Shibuya Crossing is famous for:

1. a. The statue of Hachikō, a dog who used to wait at Shibuya Station every day for his guardian to return from work.
2. b. Its appearance in scenes from the Bill Murray/Scarlett Johansson movie Lost in Translation.
3. c. Being the home of one of the busiest Starbucks coffeehouses in the world.
4. d. Being the site of a recent PETA Asia-Pacific Lettuce Ladies demonstration.
5. e. All of the above.

All of you who answered "e" would get a big, sloppy wet kiss from Hachikō if he were still with us, but since he isn't, you'll have to content yourselves with a pretty picture of the Lettuce Ladies in action:

Written by Alisa Mullins

ThisNext/Creative Commons

This little piece of good news comes to you courtesy of my friend (and occasional PETA Files blogger) Joel Bartlett, who spends more time in our local Starbucks than some of the people who work there. (Incidentally, Joel, who is PETA’s Marketing Manager, actually seems to have something of an obsession with coffee-marketing news).

Soy lattes will always be cooler, more fancy, and less pus-filled than the dairy version, but now they’re just as affordable.

And, for those of you still hankering for more good news on the soy latte front, here’s an update on the Dunkin’ situation. I’ll keep you posted.