Bovine Somatotropin - Response From Commercial Groups

Response From Commercial Groups

In response to concerns from consumers and advocacy groups about milk from cows treated with rBST, some dairies, retailers, and restaurants have published policies on use of rBST in production of milk products they sell, while others offer some products or product lines that are labelled "rBST free" or the like. Other dairies and industry groups have worked to assure the public that milk from rBST-treated cows is safe.

• Costco has no overall rBST policy, but sells brands, such as "Kirkland", with labels pledging that no rBST was used in milk production.
• Wal-Mart announced in March 2008 that its private label Great Value milk will be "sourced exclusively from cows that have not been treated with artificial growth hormones like recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST)"
• Kroger announced in April 2007 that "it will complete the transition of milk it processes and sells in its stores to a certified rBST-free supply by February 2008."
• Dean Foods has no overall rBST policy, but has brands, such as "Oak Farms", with labels pledging that no rBST was used in milk production.
• Winder Farms, a home delivery dairy and grocer in Utah and Nevada, sells milk from rBST-free cows.
• Guernsey Farms, a dairy farm and distributor located in Northville, Michigan sells and distributes rBST-free dairy products in Southeastern Michigan. Its milk has been labeled rBST free for a number of years.
• Safeway in the northwestern United States stopped buying from dairy farmers that use rBST in January 2007. The two Safeway plants produce milk for all Safeway stores in Oregon, Southwest Washington, and parts of northern California. Safeway's plant in San Leandro, California had already been rBST-free for two years.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill announced in June 2012 that it will serve rBST-free sour cream at its restaurants.
• Publix, a supermarket chain, states on its website: "Publix milk is rbST-free. (No added artificial hormones.) However, the FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST-treated cows"
• Braum's, a dairy and ice cream retailer in the midwest with a private herd, says on its website that it does not administer rBST to its cows.
• Starbucks's website, as of August 2012, has no statement about use of milk from cows treated with rBST. For example, its Animal Welfare policy is silent on the issue. However it announced in January 2008 that it would no longer sell milk from cows treated with rBST in its stores in the US. The Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy group, claimed that Starbucks' change was due to their advocacy work.
• Ben & Jerry's ice cream uses milk and cream from dairy farms that have pledged not to use rBST.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association, a co-operative made up of 110 dairy farms, indicates on its website that its cows are not treated with hormones.

In reaction to these trends, in early 2008 a pro-rBST advocacy group called "American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology" (AFACT), made up of dairies and originally affiliated with Monsanto, formed and began lobbying to ban such labels. AFACT stated that "absence" labels can be misleading and imply that milk from cows treated with rBST is inferior. The organization was dissolved in 2011.

The International Dairy Foods Association has compiled a list, last updated in 2009, of state regulations in the US for referencing use of growth hormones on milk labels.