Issues > March 1997 (#36) > Reading, 'riting and rBGH: What Kind of Milk Is Being Served in Your Child's School?

Reading, 'riting and rBGH: What Kind of Milk Is Being Served in Your Child's School?

On February 3, 1994, Monsanto began marketing Posilac™, or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbgh), a drug injected into cows to make them produce 10-20% more milk. Since then, growing numbers of consumers are demanding that milk products from rbgh-injected cows be labeled as such. Shoppers are seeking out and purchasing rbgh-free milk. And Monsanto is trying to crush this marketplace revolt.

Many scientists, physicians, and health organizations believe that Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Posilac should be revoked because major issues regarding risks to human health have yet to be resolved. For this reason, the European Union's fifteen member countries have banned rbgh until the year 2000, and Canada has forgone its approval of Posilac.

Increased levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1) are found in the milk of rbgh-treated cows. Bovine and human IGF-1 are molecularly identical, and increased levels of human IGF-1 have been linked to breast and colon cancers in people. A study in the Journal of Endocrinology (August, 1995) revealed that these increased levels of IGF-1 in the cows' milk are not broken down through pasteurization or digestion, as supporters of rbgh contend, but are instead absorbed into the human bloodstream.

Cows injected with rbgh are at risk for increased mastitis (udder infection), which is treated with antibiotics. Not only do cows suffer from infections and the swollen udders and fatigue of overproduction of milk and weight loss, but antibiotic residues in milk find their way into the bodies of those who drink it.

Children are the largest consumers of milk, cheese and other dairy products, and there has never been a long-term study of the effects of consuming milk from rbgh-treated cows on their developing bodies. Advocates for children's health across the country have been petitioning the government to label dairy products made from rbgh-treated cows, and asking school systems to purchase only rbgh-free milk.

Numerous Parent and Teacher Associations have passed rbgh-free resolutions, and over 100 school systems across the country buy only rbgh-free milk. "The most important thing was that we always got a member of the school board to back us," says parent Victoria Claman, of Litchfield, Connecticut, "and that we put together an rbgh presentation that was both technical and personal." John Kinsman, a dairy farmer in Weston, Wisconsin, did the same thing. "I simply talked to parents of small children. Once mothers heard about this, they did not rest until their school made the commitment," he says. Because of the efforts of Claman and Kinsman, over 35 districts in both Wisconsin and Connecticut are today rbgh-free.

For three years, Monsanto has been relentless in protecting its $300 million-plus investment in Posilac (as well as its projected annual income of at least $300 million from sales). The company has sued farmers and sellers who stated that their milk was from rbgh-free herds, and successfully overturned the state of Vermont's mandatory rbgh-labeling law. Monsanto has lobbied aggressively in Washington against mandatory rbgh labeling, and allegedly tried to bribe the Canadian government into approving Posilac. And, Monsanto hovers watchfully over some of our largest city school districts.

In 1994, Kat Cummings, a teacher in Chicago, petitioned the Chicago Board of Education. "At one point, the board agreed to make the rbgh-free commitment," Cummings says. Milk vendors were notified of the pending rbgh-free policy. At this point, "Monsanto came knocking on my door, with their top lawyers," said McNair Grant, Jr., director of the department of purchasing for the Chicago Board of Education. After this meeting, the final decision was that the schools would not adopt an rbgh-free policy.

Despite similar appearances by Monsanto, Los Angeles was one of the first cities to adopt an rbgh-free purchasing policy. In New York City, the NYC Safe Milk Coalition, which consists of parents, politicians, scientists, and health professionals, has had an ongoing dialogue with Kevin Gill, the executive director of the Office of School Food and Nutrition Services, for over two years. Monsanto has also met with Mr. Gill. "Plenty of rbgh-free milk is available for the New York City schools," states Pauletta Brooks, a parent and leader in this fight. The NYC Safe Milk Coalition will continue to press for rbgh-free milk, for the sake of their children, as should we all.

3 Steps To An rBGH-Free School System

1. Find out what milk your school is serving. Call your school district's director of purchasing and ask if they are procuring rbgh-free milk (don't be surprised if they don't know what you're talking about). If they don't know, request the names of the vendors they purchase from (this is public information).

2. Verify the milk company's position on rbgh. Call the milk company and ask for their rbgh policy in writing. Look for statements that are direct, such as, "We require that suppliers and farmers sign affidavits stating that they do not use rbgh." Be wary of statements like, "We don't wish to use rbgh, but FDA deems it safe for human consumption."

3. Organize for an rbgh-free policy. Gather the technical facts and educate yourself and other parents, teachers and school board members on rbgh. Find a partner who shares your concern and determination, and set up a coalition of local people (e.g. PTA members, politicians, health professionals, consumer groups, farmers and veterinarians) who would be willing to meet with your school board. Most important: enlist the support of a school board member who will back you during meetings.