Indiana joined Pennsylvania and Ohio this week in an effort to ban the use of growth hormone-related labels on milk sold in the state. The Indiana House Committee passed HB 1300, a bill which would ban the use of “compositional” and “production-related” claims about milk. If you cannot confirm the difference in a lab or if your milk is different because you simply do not use an artificial hormone in the production of it, this Indiana bill will reject your label.
A core reason why we see this new wave of state legislation is fear that sales of the Monsanto rBGH product Posilac will decline further as large groups of dairies ban the use of the hormone. Consumer concern about the hormone, combined with the hormone’s negative effect on cow health, increasingly raise the cost (both actual and PR) of rBGH for dairy farmers. If Monsanto can reduce consumer concern by blocking dairy product labels, dairy farmers will keep buying and Posilac can continue to be a Monsanto profit center.
If you are an Indiana consumer and concerned that your legislators are working for Monsanto, give them a buzz. Take a minute to contact your representative on the state website.
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Humor:
January 25th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Many states dealing with milk labeling at the same time. HUM. Sounds kind of coordinated by some unseen force in the not to dim background.
Don
January 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Yep Don, it doesn’t appear to be a coincidence. I attended the World Ag Expo last year and sat in on a lot of the dairy sessions. There was a big call to arms over this issue.