Monsanto: Time to Cry Over Spilled rBGH Milk?

Submitted by Anne Landman on

Monsanto is discovering a troubling new side effect from use of Posilac, its controversial recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) injected into cows to increase milk production: use of rBGH is shriveling up the market for milk from Posilac-treated cows. In response to growing consumer demand for hormone-free dairy products, retailers are increasingly rejecting milk products derived from rBGH-injected cows. The Kroger Company announced in an August 1 press release that by February 2008 the company will sell only milk that is certified free of synthetic hormones. This represents no small blow to Monsanto; Kroger operates 2,458 supermarkets and other stores in 31 states, as well as 15 dairies and three ice cream plants. Kroger's holdings include the major grocery chains Ralphs, Fred Meyer, City Market, Food 4 Less, and King Soopers. Kroger joins Starbucks and other retailers in rejecting use of Posilac. The bottom line? A little more pain for Monsanto and little less pain for the cows.

Main Source: 
Kroger Company press release, August 1, 2007
Topics: 
Agriculture
Food Safety
Animal Rights
Corporations

Comments

GypsyJon replied on

While like many, I do not hold Monsanto in high regard, as a professional dairy cow nutritionist, who has practiced since 1984, I do have to defend bST. The product has been in wide spread use since sometime in the mid 1990's and I am not aware of any scientific evidence that it causes any threat to humans or cows. I have seen it injected thousands of times and cows do not even flinch, due to the fact the the needle used is tiny, 20G I believe, which is smaller than many needles used when humans get injections. Further, bST levels in milk do not rise. The compound pretty much just changes how cows partition energy and protein in the feed they consume. By the way, the impact of bST on milk production in the US is much less than selective breeding and artificial insemination has been.

If consumers do not want to buy milk from cows treated with bST, so be it. Nonetheless, it poses no threat to human or cow health.

Anonymous replied on

CAN YOU BE SURE THAT ANY PERSON THAT GOT ANY OF THOSE CANCERS ON LIST LIST FROM THE MID 90S TILL NOW DID NOT GET IT FROM BST INJECTED IN THOSE COWS AND CAN YOU ALSO ASURE ME THAT IN 10 OR MORE YRS MY 4 KIDS WILL IN NO WAY GET IT FROM THE BST BEING INJECTED IN THOSE COWS WELL IN ALL REALITY YOU CAN NOT. THERE IS EVIDENCE AND STUDIES OUT THERE SAYING THESE THINGS FOR A REASON SO I AM NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO A REAL PRO NUTRITION COW WHAT EVER WITH WHOM I DONT KNOW WHO THEY WORK FOR OR WHO THEY ARE SAYS ITS OK WHEN THERE IS REASON TO THINK OTHER WISE I AM GOING TO LISTEN TO ALL OF THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE ON MY OWN AND THINK IF THERE IS EVEN A SMALL CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING I WONT TAKE THAT CHANCE WITH THE HEALTH OF MY KIDS OR NEIGHBORING KIDS OR SCHOOLS AND NO ONE ELSE SHOULD TAKE THE CHANCE WITH THE LIVES OF THERE KIDS TO SAY OH WELL THIS PERSON SAYS ITS OK SO IT MUST BE THESES STORIES DID NOT JUST COME OUT OF THE WIND THEY HAD TO ORIGINATE FROM SOME WERE THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU THINK AND IF YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO WORRY

Anonymous replied on

liar

BBFmail replied on

BREAST CANCER, RBGH AND MILK

A study of U.S. women published May 9 in the LANCET links
insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) with breast cancer.[1,2]
Earlier this year a study linked IGF-1 to prostate cancer.[3]
(See REHW #593.) Prostate and breast cancers are major killers
of men and women in the U.S. and in other industrialized
countries. IGF-1 levels are now being artificially increased in
much of the cows' milk being sold throughout the U.S. These new
cancer studies raise serious questions about the wisdom of
allowing IGF-1 levels to be raised in milk.

The latest study[1] found a 7-fold increased risk of breast
cancer among pre-menopausal women younger than age 51 with the
highest levels of IGF-1 in their blood. The prostate cancer study
published in SCIENCE in January, 1998, found a 4-fold increase in
risk of prostate cancer among men with the highest levels of
IGF-1 in their blood.[3] Thus IGF-1 in blood is associated with
larger relative risks for common cancers than any other factor
yet discovered.[2]

BGH Milk and Risks of Breast Cancer

Press Conference, Forum, Cancer Prevention Coalition and National Family Forum Coalition, Room HC-6, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C., March 14, 1995

The biosynthetic growth hormone, rBGH, has been available for commercial use by dairy farmers since February 4th following FDA's prior approval of the Monsanto product. More recently, the FDA has warned dairy farmers, retailers, and processors against the use of hormone-free labels to distinguish milk from untreated.

* MOUNTING EVIDENCE LINKS CONSUMPTION OF rBGH AND DAIRY PRODUCTS TO INCREASED BREAST CANCER RISK.
* THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER IS DUE TO SUSTAINED AND ELEVATED LEVELS IN MILK OF THE POTENT GROWTH FACTOR IGF-1.
* THE INFANT IS LIKELY TO BE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO THE FUTURE CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS OF IGF-1.

In a February 14th letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other government agencies, Dr. Samuel Epstein, Chair of the Cancer Prevention Coalition "expressed grave concerns about the risks of breast cancer from consumption of rBGH milk." The letter, which summarized the underlying scientific evidence, has received no response from the FDA, the National Cancer Institute or Members of Congress as of March 9th.

This information further confirms the national Family Farm Coalition's position that the rBGH should never have been approved by the FDA in view of evidence on explicit adverse public health and veterinary effects.

Anonymous replied on

Yea I don't ever want you being my doctor or going near a cow with a 10 ft. poll, maybe you should do some more research... there Dr.?

The 1998 and 2008 reviews by Health Canada determined the use of rBGH increases the risk of mastitis by 25%, affects reproductive functions, increases the risk of clinical lameness by 50%, and shortens lives of cows treated with it. Regardless, Monsanto lobbied their government big time, to approve rBGH in Canada. Dr. Margaret Hayden a Health Canada researcher informed the Canadian Senate, that officials from Monsanto offered the Health Canada Scientists between $1 million- $2 million. “An offer she says could only be understood as an attempted bribe.”

want more theres mountains of it, but very few actual data saying how healthy it is.., and believe me that datas been showed innacurate, thrown out and rejected by many studies and multitudes of repected professonals and agencies like the CPA the EPA and even researchers previously working for the FDA.