rBST Labelling Wars Rife in the US of A
US - Monsanto are en-locked in battle against attempts widespread US attempts to allow milk produced from cows that have not received growth hormone to be labeled as such.
28 March 2008
2 minute read
According to Food Navigator, the battle between Monsanto, whose recombinant bovine somatatropin (rbST) growth hormone is sold under the Posilac name, and state legislators, farmers and food stores has spread to Ohio, where Cincinnati-based retailer Kroger wants to sell milk that is labeled as "hormone-free".
The problem for Kroger is that such labeling is technically illegal, since the official stance of the US Food and Drug Administration is that there is no difference between milk from cows that have or have not been given the hormone.
* "Our customers' increasing interest in their health and wellness is the basis for our decision." |
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William Boehm, senior vice president and president of manufacturing for Kroger
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RbST helps cows produce milk for longer, and is marketed by Monsanto as a means of boosting milk production, a key advantage in a competitive US dairy market, say Food Navigator.
But producers who do not use the hormone also see a competitive advantage in labeling their milk as such, and in many cases have received the backing of retailers such as Kroger.
The Ohio-based store wants to sell milk carrying a label statement which claims that the milk does not contain the growth hormone, but was banned from doing so by the state governor.
Kroger's labels were also due to carry the statement that the FDA had found that rbST was safe - a compromise that has been permitted in other states such as Pennsylvania - but this system was considered inadequate because the FDA statement was in smaller print than the 'hormone-free' label.
The state's legislature will hold a hearing on the labeling issue next week.
Kroger announced last summer that it planned to sell only rbST-free milk by February 2008 because its customers did not want hormones in the milk they bought.
"Our customers' increasing interest in their health and wellness is the basis for our decision," said William Boehm, senior vice president and president of manufacturing for Kroger, back in August.
"We appreciate the willingness of dairy cooperatives across the country to work with us to make this transition in the next six months."
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