Dairy Cows in Vermont (photo by Tara, courtesy of morguefile.com)

The scoially conscious Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. first labeled its ice cream as free of recombinant bovine gowth hormone (rBGH) more than a decade ago. The Monsanto Co., which markets rBGH, is sponsoring efforts to ban hormone-free labeling in several states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of voluntary labels more than 12 years ago in response to consumer concerns over the use of the genetically engineered hormone. Ben & Jerry's is fighting to keep those rBGH labels on their products, asserting the right of people to know what is their food..

On the Ben & Jerry's web site the company states,

We believe rBGH, a genetically engineered hormone given to dairy cows to increase their milk production, is a step in the wrong direction toward a synthetic, chemically-intensive, factory-produced food supply. It also raises the risk of serious health problems in cows.

Approximately one of three American dairy cows are injected with rBGH, which boosts milk production by about 10%. Monsanto claims that rBGH is safe for humans and labeling products as free of the synthetic hormone falsely implies that those products are safer. The FDA has ruled that rBGH is safe, but the European Union and Japan have not approved its use, citing health concerns for animals. The nonprofit Center for Food Safety says, "...this genetically engineered growth hormone is known to cause harm to cows and may pose health risks to humans."

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility feels the synthetic hormone was approved by the FDA without adequate testing and says there is concern that it may be linked to cancer in humans. The organization has set a goal to "discontinue the production of any dairy products in Oregon from cows treated with rBGH."

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Indiana have backed away from prohibiting hormone-free labeling after hearing from thousands of citizens, farmers, dairy processors, consumers, and activists who want rBGH labeling. Several other states, including Ohio and Missouri, are apparently considering prohibitions of hormone-free labeling.

To watch a video of Dr. Jenny Pompilio of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility describing the harmful effects of rBGH go to: Know Your Milk: Does it Have Artificial Hormones?