As of January 1, 2008, Pennsylvania will ban all labels on milk and dairy products that indicated they come from cows that haven’t been treated with artificial bovine growth hormone, also know as rBGH or rBST. State officials say that such labels are “confusing”.
Farmers use artificial bovine growth hormone to increase milk production. The U.S. government has long maintained that it is safe, but it is illegal in many other countries. Many American consumers dislike the idea of milk that comes from cows that are treated with artificial hormones, and many national grocery store chains have begun offering rBGH-free options, or stopped selling milk from rBGH-treated cows entirely.
In reaction, Monsanto, which manufactures rBGH, has spent more than a decade trying to persuade federal and state authorities to ban non-rBGH labels, and they have now managed to convince Dennis Wolff, Pennsylvania’s agriculture secretary to play it their way.
Wolff argues that “hormone free” labels are misleading, as cows produce hormones naturally. But even labels that are more carefully worded, such as “contains no artificial hormones” will be banned in Pennsylvania because Mr. Wolff says that there is no scientific test which can verify such a claim.
The ban will also extend to phrases such as “pesticide free” and “antibiotic free.” Wolff says such labels are confusing for consumers because they suggest milk without those labels is unsafe.
Mr. Wolff said his office had received many calls from confused consumers. However, his office could not provide a single survey showing that consumers were confused, or the name of even one consumer who had complained.
Update as of November 28, 2007: After strong public backlash, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s decision to ban ‘rBGH-Free’ dairy labels is under review. Gov. Ed Rendell's office initiated the review, and enforcement of the new rules, originally slated for January 1, 2008, will be delayed for at least one month.
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