| As most readers will know, rbGH is an artificial growth hormone given to cows to increase milk production. It's inhumane to cows and bad for humans as well, for a variety of reasons (increased antibiotics in the milk, possible links to cancer, etc). rbGH has been legal since the early 1990's but consumers are opposed to its use and it's becoming a liability for dairy producers to use it because informed consumers know to look for an "rbGH-free" label on their milk (or to buy organic, which does not permit the use of rbGH).
Monsanto used to own rbGH, but it sold it to Elanco (owned by Eli Lilly) about a year ago. While rbGH was theirs, Monsanto hoped to make it illegal for dairies to label their products as "rbGH-free" (or any other wording to that extent, like "free of artificial growth hormones"). While they lost the battle to ban such labeling initially, in late 2007 the state of Pennsylvania was the first to try to ban "rbGH-free" labeling within its state. Other states followed suit, including New Jersey, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Utah. The efforts in each state varied, from mere consideration of a ban, to measures taken by the executive or legislative branches of government. They also varied in their requirements, from no rbGH-labeling at all, to specific wording prohibited, to requirements about adding statements that the FDA sees no difference between milk from cows treated with rbGH or untreated cows and about the font size of the rbGH-free claim vs. the "no difference" claim, etc.
During the period of time from Pennsylvania's first announcement of a labeling ban and now, more and more dairies, major brands, and retailers have pledged to go rbGH-free in all or some of their products, including Wal-Mart, Kraft, Dannon, and Yoplait. Every single labeling ban has been struck down by consumer outcry and a diverse group of organizations and businesses who oppose the labeling bans... with one exception. Ohio.
Ohio's Department of Agriculture enacted an "emergency rule" that restricts rbGH-free labeling. The Organic Trade Association sued over this ruling, and lost. This week, OTA appealed. But what's even more interesting? There's practically nobody left in Ohio who even uses rbGH and has a stake in banning rbGH-free labeling!
In Ohio, dairy brands Kroger, Reiter (Dean Foods), and Smith all label their products as rbGH-free. Meijer does not. One dairy, United Dairy in southern Ohio, still allows rbGH. So does Dannon, but they are in the process of phasing out rbGH by the end of the year. In other words, most rbGH-free brands DO label, and if you use rbGH on your cows, there's almost nowhere left in Ohio where you can sell your milk. So why is the Ohio Dept of Ag even bothering with this issue? |
