Bovine Somatatropin (BST)

e are mindful of the on-going public dialogue and the views of our customers on the potential use of Bovine Somatotropin (BST) by dairy farmers to increase their milk production.

Accordingly, over the past few months, we have:

ONE: Checked extensively with our dairy farmers from whom we get our milk and found they never used BST and do not intend to do so in the future;

TWO: Made it clear with these farmers and cooperatives from whom we get our milk that we do not want them to use BST to supplement their milk production.

While we have taken these steps, it is important for your customers to also understand it is not possible using existing scientific techniques to tell milk from cows that have received BST supplementary from those that have not. If a farmer chooses to treat his cows, we have no way of knowing, and we cannot guarantee it was not used. For that matter, no dairy food company can test for BST in milk, even if they assert their milk is "BST-free."

The FDA reinforced this point on February 8, 1994 when they stated special labels are not required on milk from BST treated cows, because milk from BST treated cows was found to be safe and not significantly different from milk from untreated cows. In view of the FDA, labeling of dairy products as "BST - free" would be false and misleading, because BST is found naturally in milk.