Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff has come to the rescue of we Pennsylvanians who are too stupid to understand labels printed on our dairy products. Mr. Wolff, appointed to his post in May of 2003 by Gov. Ed Rendell, has issued an edict banning “absence labeling” on milk effective January 1. Wolff feels labels such as “hormone free”, “contains no artificial hormones” and the especially dreaded “rBGH-free milk” are misleading to consumers. His ban also applies to “pesticide free” and “antibiotic free”. Basically any label which informs the consumer that a particular product is free of unnatural substances will now be banned in the forward-thinking Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
According to the New York Times, Wolff is a “former” dairy farmer but his bio on the state’s web site says he currently owns a 400-head dairy farm called Pen-Col Farms. Not that Wolff’s status as a present or past dairy farmer would have anything at all to do with his decree. Of course not. Also of no consequence are the complaints he received from PA dairy farmers who use hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and rBGH in their milk. These substances increase a cow’s milk production by a gallon or so a day….. a margin the dairy farmers are not willing to give up. No, his ruling was borne solely from his humanitarian concern for his fellow Pennsylvanians who he feels would be better off uninformed than confused.
“It confuses [the public],” Wolff said. “[The labels] seem to imply there is a safe, nonsafe dimension.”
He elaborated further saying “no-rBGH” labels can’t be verified by scientific testing. Additionally, the labels incorrectly “infer” that there is a difference between milk from hormone treated cows and cows free from such substances because no study has ever proven there is a difference much less a harmful difference. Besides, “hormone free” is a very misleading statement, Wolff reasons, when you consider that cows produce hormones naturally.
Dean Foods, the nation’s largest milk bottler, has told suppliers it’s time to dump the hormones. Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) remains illegal in many countries around the world including our northern neighbor Canada. The general public has grown increasingly skittish about the flood of chemicals and genetically engineered substances which proliferate in the food supply. Even so, the federal government maintains rBGH is perfectly safe and Mr. Wolff appears to agree.
Nonetheless and in response to public concern, certain dairies have told farmers they will no longer buy milk from cows treated with the suspect hormones. This didn’t sit well with Pennsylvania farmers using the hormone. Sure, they could sell to other dairies that weren’t as picky. But if this silly anti-hormone sentiment was left to grow unchecked throughout the consumer world, their profits would surely take a hit at some future date. Market forces could dictate they discontinue the hormone use, which would put an end to their extra gallon of milk per cow per day and whatever extra profit came with that gallon. Couldn’t something be done to help them out? Couldn’t these hyper-sensitive consumers be reigned in before it was too late?
Yes, something could be done and something was done. PA dairy farmers ran to their friend and former(?) dairy farmer, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. Wolff listened, Wolff deliberated, Wolff gave the matter the full measure of his unbiased consideration. Wolff decided Pennsylvania consumers are not sophisticated enough to appreciate the non-difference between natural foods and those containing pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. He spared the consumer the angst of choosing between products they thought were different, but were really the same, except for a few additives. He’s done all this by making sure the labels on both products are the same. No mention of any differences. After all, what we don’t know never ever hurts us.
According to the New York Times, Wolff is a “former” dairy farmer but his bio on the state’s web site says he currently owns a 400-head dairy farm called Pen-Col Farms. Not that Wolff’s status as a present or past dairy farmer would have anything at all to do with his decree. Of course not. Also of no consequence are the complaints he received from PA dairy farmers who use hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and rBGH in their milk. These substances increase a cow’s milk production by a gallon or so a day….. a margin the dairy farmers are not willing to give up. No, his ruling was borne solely from his humanitarian concern for his fellow Pennsylvanians who he feels would be better off uninformed than confused.
“It confuses [the public],” Wolff said. “[The labels] seem to imply there is a safe, nonsafe dimension.”
He elaborated further saying “no-rBGH” labels can’t be verified by scientific testing. Additionally, the labels incorrectly “infer” that there is a difference between milk from hormone treated cows and cows free from such substances because no study has ever proven there is a difference much less a harmful difference. Besides, “hormone free” is a very misleading statement, Wolff reasons, when you consider that cows produce hormones naturally.
Dean Foods, the nation’s largest milk bottler, has told suppliers it’s time to dump the hormones. Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) remains illegal in many countries around the world including our northern neighbor Canada. The general public has grown increasingly skittish about the flood of chemicals and genetically engineered substances which proliferate in the food supply. Even so, the federal government maintains rBGH is perfectly safe and Mr. Wolff appears to agree.
Nonetheless and in response to public concern, certain dairies have told farmers they will no longer buy milk from cows treated with the suspect hormones. This didn’t sit well with Pennsylvania farmers using the hormone. Sure, they could sell to other dairies that weren’t as picky. But if this silly anti-hormone sentiment was left to grow unchecked throughout the consumer world, their profits would surely take a hit at some future date. Market forces could dictate they discontinue the hormone use, which would put an end to their extra gallon of milk per cow per day and whatever extra profit came with that gallon. Couldn’t something be done to help them out? Couldn’t these hyper-sensitive consumers be reigned in before it was too late?
Yes, something could be done and something was done. PA dairy farmers ran to their friend and former(?) dairy farmer, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. Wolff listened, Wolff deliberated, Wolff gave the matter the full measure of his unbiased consideration. Wolff decided Pennsylvania consumers are not sophisticated enough to appreciate the non-difference between natural foods and those containing pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. He spared the consumer the angst of choosing between products they thought were different, but were really the same, except for a few additives. He’s done all this by making sure the labels on both products are the same. No mention of any differences. After all, what we don’t know never ever hurts us.
