Chicago

ROCKER Neil Young and other activists are criticising Starbucks Corp for its membership in a trade association fighting Vermont's new food-labelling law.

An advocacy group called SumOfUs wants Starbucks to sever ties with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which has sued to block Vermont's legislation - a move supported by Monsanto Co. Starbucks says it has nothing to do with the lawsuit, though it is a member of the GMA. The Vermont bill, which passed earlier this year, requires labelling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. SumOfUs has gathered more than 300,000 signatures on a petition calling on Starbucks to drop its GMA membership. The campaign got a boost last week from Young, the 69-year-old rock legend. He said on his website that he would no longer buy his lattes at Starbucks in protest.