Got Milk?

01/28/2011

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Upwards of 70% of the antibiotics used in the U.S. go toward farm animals. Here's an interesting piece in the New York Times.

Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds of older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse. Concerned that those antibiotics might also be contaminating the milk Americans drink, the Food and Drug Administration intended to begin tests this month on the milk from farms that had repeatedly sold cows tainted by drug residue. Read More

Moral of the story: Purchase organic milk. Unfortunately, organic milk is very expensive, but considering the alternative, it might be worth it.

By the way,  the story behind the origin of antibiotics in our food supply is fascinating. Here it is.


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Is Your Milk rbST Free?

07/27/2010

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Got milk? Got confusion? Nowadays, milk cartons will state this: "Our farmers pledge not to treat their cows with rbST - (it is a growth hormone used to increase milk production.)

That wording seemed vague to me. So, I emailed three experts in the health and nutrition field about it.

My question: I see this verbiage on my milk carton and it seems very vague.
“Our farmers pledge not to treat their cows with rbST.” The word ‘pledge’ implies to me that they may or may not do what is stated above. I’m interested in your input.

The answers that I received:
  • They are not allowed to say rbST-free.
  • In the overwhelming majority of cases, farmers who pledge not to use recombinant bovine Somatotropin (rbST)/ recombinant growth hormone (rBGH) sign legal affidavits that are kept on file by the respective companies they provide milk to.

    In the vast majority of cases, though, this is done via an honor system.  There is no formal inspection process.

    There also aren’t unannounced assessments or investigations.  For example, the New York and Connecticut chapters of the Northeast Organic Farming Association explicitly state that they “do not investigate or make any guarantee that the individual farmer is complying with the Farmer’s Pledge.”
I'm still waiting for the response from expert number three.

However, it still seems confusing to me. How 'bout you?
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