A Dispatch from the War on Mislabeled Milk
Monday, November 7th, 2005Milk is Milk Blog by Alex Avery
Some encouraging news out of New Jersey - in response to a complaint filed by the Stop Labeling Lies Coalition, of which we are a member, the NJ Department of Health stated its intention to investigate misleading health-related claims by three dairies under its jurisdiction.
Three cheers for the Health Department of New Jersey, who continue to take the problem of misleading health-related dairy claims seriously. I’d like to raise my glass (of healthy and nutritious conventionally-produced milk, of course) to these folks who have turned their attention to the essential goal of cracking down on the black marketing scare-tactics of some bad apple organic dairies. The Boston Globe said it best, when it reported that some of these organic dairies “appear to be part of a very effective marketing campaign based more on fear than facts.”
Now, we know better than to get prematurely optimistic. We’ve been filing complaints on several state and federal levels, and our expectations are realistic when it comes to the pace of enforcing these regulations. But the letter we received stated that the state recognizes “that there is an emerging trend of labeling violations,” and that the state will conduct a “label review… and take action in accordance with the law if it is determined that any of them are misbranded.”
That is all we ask.
After all, the law states in plain terms that absence claims like statements “No Hormones” and “Hormone Free” are misbranded under section 403(a) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Similarly, antibiotic-free, pesticide-free and other false and misleading claims are equally egregious. The milk brands in question proclaim that they have “no hormones added,” then proudly state that they add Vitamin D3, which is in fact a hormone. These labels do not conform to FDA guidelines [Docket No. 94D-0025 as published by the Federal Register, Vol. 59, No. 28, 2-10-94]. Furthermore, the “no antibiotics” claim suggests a compositional difference between organic and conventional milk which is simply not true. No milk, after all, contains antibiotics, and all milk is tested to be free of antibiotic residues.
So why would anyone want to mislead us into thinking that naturally occurring dairy hormones are harmful or that conventionally-produced milk contains antibiotics? Are these marketing claims merely the product of ignorant but well-intentioned dairy producers who think they’re looking out for our health? Unfortunately, the answer is ‘no.’
A recent New York Times article profiled the large, corporate organic industry interests who have high stakes in promoting the misperception of organic milk (and followed up with a misguided and misinformed editorial declaring that organic food is healthier, despite there being absolutely NO DATA that supports that claim). For example, Wal-Mart’s CEO says he’s “excited about organic food.” Why is that? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not for health or environmental reasons (since those reasons don’t exist), and after a recent study suggesting that organic milk is no different but that dairy farming is detrimental to cattle welfare, it is certainly not for humane farming reasons. Instead, Mr. CEO continues, “It’s a great example of how Wal-Mart can appeal to a wider range of customers.”
You don’t say. Well, if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you won’t be surprised that there is a concerted, unholy alliance between multibillion dollar dairy interests and so-called pro-organic, non-profit advocacy groups with dubious agendas.
We remain faithful, however, that these black marketing special interests will not sway the officials over at the state of New Jersey’s Department of Health. We’ll be following up and we’ll certainly keep you in the loop as to our progress. We look forward to the results of their commendable investigation.
Because as we say… and as they know… and as the law points out… milk is milk.
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