American Milk Consumers Being Deceived by Mislabelling

by: RussellEaton
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Word Count: 434

Milk consumers in the United States should note that most regular pasteurized milk comes from cows that have been given synthetic growth hormones, known confusingly under three different names: rBST, rBGH, and Posilac. They all refer to exactly the same thing: synthetic growth hormones that are injected into cows to make them produce more milk than they normally would.

Some studies show that synthetic growth hormones in milk can increase the risk of cancer in human milk consumers. This is why synthetic growth hormones for cows are banned in most countries (although not in the United States where the synthetic growth hormones are manufactured).

When you buy regular pasteurized milk in the USA the label says nothing about the milk containing synthetic growth hormones, yet over 95% of all pasteurized milk sold in regular supermarkets and stores contain synthetic growth hormones.

This is causing concern for many American consumers, and as a result some companies such as Wal-Mart and the coffee-chain Starbucks are switching to milk free of synthetic growth hormones.

What about deceptive labelling?

When milk companies provide milk that is free of synthetic growth hormones they are labelling their milk as being "hormone free". This is a big con because no milk is "hormone free". All milk without exception contains bovine growth hormones known as IGF-1. These hormones are known to produce cancer in humans as evidenced by numerous studies over the years.

With regard to milk labelling, organic milk producers are the biggest culprits. A major selling point for U.S. organic milk is that it does not have synthetic growth hormones. Organic milk labels invariably state: "hormone, antibiotics and pesticide-free." But this is wholly misleading because no kind of dairy milk can be hormone free.

Therefore, milk labelled "hormone free" is thoroughly misleading because it is implying the milk has no hormones, and nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of labelling the milk "hormone free" it should be labelled "rBGH free" or "rBST free" or even "free of synthetic growth hormones".

In summary, all dairy milk without exception contains bovine growth hormones. Additionally, most American milk also contains synthetic growth hormones. It is totally deceptive to label any kind of milk as being "hormone free".

However, there is one major exception: milk made from plant-based ingredients contains no growth hormones at all. Non-dairy milk made from nuts, seeds, rice, and soybeans is completely free of harmful hormones. Apart from being truly delicious, non-dairy milk is super-nutritious. For a free ebook on how to make great-tasting nut & seed milk please see below.

About the Author

Save time and money. Get a free nut and seed ebook that shows exactly how to make your own delicious milk in just minutes. Also see www.about-milk.info.  

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