Starbucks scraps 'Race Together' phrases from coffee cups after online backlash

Starbucks has pulled its “Race Together” slogan from coffee cups after a social media backlash.

The coffee giant announced it would no longer write the phrase on cups after its diversity and racial inequality campaign was met with criticism.

But a spokesman for the company said the decision to end the practice after a week was unrelated to the backlash.

Race Together, a larger campaign headed by both Starbucks and US newspaper USA Today, will continue.

The campaign was met with criticism by customers.

Student Ninette Musili, who is black, told the Associated Press the campaign seemed like an insincere publicity stunt, while Shane Mulholland, 46, who is white, said Starbucks was the wrong place to talk about race.

Celebrities took to Twitter to criticise the chain. “No matter what your skin [colour] is we're all equally stupid paying that much money for coffee,” wrote comedy writer Eliza Bayne.

Starbucks had tweeted “it's worth a little discomfort” as it launched the campaign.

“Actually, it's worth going somewhere else for coffee that's not served by hipster know-it-alls,” responded film star Nick Searcy.

Additional reporting by Associated Press