Alex Avery

October 31, 2007

Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture struck a blow for truth in

labeling and consumers last week by banning misleading hormone-,

antibiotic-, and pesticide-free claims on milk and other dairy

products. Starting next year, only meaningful claims supported by

laboratory testing will be allowed on PA milk and dairy food labels.

Bottom line: no more hormone-free, pesticide-free, or antibiotic-free

claims.

This will alleviate stress on Pennsylvania moms and Pennsylvania

family budget's because, as readers of this blog know, milk is milk. No

matter what the label claims, no milk has antibiotics, pesticides, or

extra hormones. Lets hope other states get their act together and

announce similar consumer-oriented enforcement actions.

Apparently, the Pennsylvania DA has just figured out that some dairy

product labels "go as far as to tout the absence of substances that

cannot lawfully be present in the food to begin with." After reviewing

hundreds of labels from 140 companies, they identified labels from 16

"permit holders" that violate Pennsylvania's long-standing laws against

misleading consumers.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said in a news release

that "antibiotic-free" and "pesticide-free" are misleading because all

processed milk sold in the state is tested a minimum of 10 times for

such substances, which are not permitted in milk. The ban includes

claims that cows are not treated with rbST because no test can

distinguish between the natural hormone in milk and traces of the 99.5%

identical biotech version.

We're thrilled that, at least in Pennsylvania, the laws against

misleading consumers will finally be enforced. We just wonder what has

taken so long and why more states haven't woken up to the massive con

job being perpetrated on consumers.