The other day I was haring around the grocery store trying to complete my shopping at break-neck speed: I had hungry kids at home and 101 things still to do. Fruit – check. Eggs – check. Cereal – check. Milk… oh gaawd! The brand we usually buy is out of stock – groan!
Okay, so I’ll just choose another one… Umm this looks rBST free. Hang on, the label doesn’t say so. What about this one? It says it’s ‘Free Range’, mmm not sure? Tick tock, tick tock. Oh for goodness sake, I’m just going to take this one and hope for the best.
Do you buy rBST-free dairy products?
Go for milk that's mooo-marvellous!
I have to admit that I’m no purist, but I do try hard to stock up on rBST-free whenever I can. I’ve never been sure why, to be honest. I just know rBST has gotten a bad rap in recent years and it’s not particulary good for you. My latest ill-informed (rushed!) purchase prompted me to find out more about this fugly growth hormone, rBST.
Here’s what I found out…
rBST is short for recombinant bovine somatotropin. Basically it’s a genetically engineered version of a “naturally occurring” growth hormone that is used to increase milk production in cows (apparently by up to 15%).
What’s bad about it?
Cows injected with rBST produce more milk, making them prone to mastitis, which has to be treated with antibiotics and eventually these end up in our bodies. Apparently rBST increases insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in cows’ milk and studies reveal that IGF-1 levels are higher in patients with breast, prostate or colorectal cancer.
Bottom line? Consuming products containing rBST increases your cancer risks.
What to do?
Try to buy rBST-free dairy products wherever possible. Here are some brands that are free of the rBST hormone:
- Woolworths – “Now we’ve taken our good food journey a step further and have taken rBST out of all our fresh milk and yoghurts.”
- Pick n’ Pay – No Name and Choice brands are rBST free.
- Clover – “All Clover producers are required to sign an rBST-free agreement.”
- Parmalat – “Parmalat is totally against the use of rBST (a synthetic hormone which artificially stimulates milk production in cows) and has put a strict set of processes in place to ensure that all our milk producers comply with the company’s extremely high quality standards. When you buy a Parmalat product you can rest assured that it has been made with milk from cows not treated with rBST.”
Your safest bet?
Organic milk is rBST free and much higher in nutrients than non-organic options. This article explaining why ‘Cows that eat outdoors produce healthier milk’ is a good one to read if you want to find out more.
Soooo, if you’re anything like me; time poor and completely out of lust with grocery shopping – especially the label-reading part – bear in mind that Woolies, Pick n’ Pay, Clover and Parmalat keep their milk rBST free. When you’re rushin’ down the dairy aisle be sure to reach for one of those brands.
2 Comments
Sorry, but not ALL woolies milk is rBST free. This is the impression that many people have, but their long-life boxed milk is not. I discovered this when the more eco-friendly fresh sachets were discontinued, and found only the more expensive Ayrshire long-life labelled as rBST free, not the normal long-life.
I followed this up with research (including having come across this website during a google search) and conctacted Woolies, who avoided replying to my question. Eventually, through the Independent Newspapers consumer writer, I got an official answer from Woolies that “The rBST policy has also been extended to all fresh milk, not only Ayrshire, but unfortunately not to all the UHT milk yet.”
It also seems that other big companies such as Clover all say they discourage the use of rBST but take it on trust, as they don’t seem to carry out audits, and the hormone is not readily detectable in milk. Buyer beware.From:
http://www.relax-with-dax.co.za/more-rbst-free-dairy-products
Thanks for the info, Pauline.