Opponents Target Ohio Milk Label Rule
More than 70 groups and individuals have asked Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to kill an emergency rule that would restrict the use of labels saying “rbGH-free” on milk from cows not treated with Monsanto’s synthetic recombinant bovine-growth hormone (rbGH).
In a letter sent to Strickland today, the petitioners warned that, “If the emergency rule remains unchanged, it will negatively impact Ohioans’ ability to make an informed decision about the dairy products they buy. It interferes with farmers and dairies’ rights to free speech, and with consumer right-to-know. In this era of increased concern about what’s in our food and how it is produced, Ohio should be making more information available not less.”
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is scheduled to discuss the emergency rule at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 12.
The ODA introduced the emergency rule on milk labeling last month. The order would allow labels to state “this milk is from cows not supplemented with rbST” (another acronym for rbGH) only if the label also says, “The FDA has determined that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST-treated cows.”
State officials have justified the emergency rule stating, “the failure to immediately adopt a rule … will negatively impact Ohioans by not allowing them to make an informed decision about the goods that they purchase and consume.” However, opponents of the new restrictions point out current labeling requirements meet FDA guidelines that have been in place for 14 years.
Among those signing the letter are representatives from Ben & Jerry’s, the Center for Food Safety, the Center for Media and Democracy, Food & Water Watch, Good Earth Natural Foods, Hahn Natural Foods, Horizon Dairy, the National Farmers Union, the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Organic Consumers Association, Reclaim Democracy, the Rodale Institute, Stonyfield Farm and Wright Way Dairy.
