Northeast Dairy Leaders Discuss Milk Labeling

Maegan Crandall
Central NY Correspondent

ONEONTA, N.Y. — Members of the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team (NEDLT) — which includes producers, processors, and representatives from allied support groups — assembled last Thursday to discuss important dairy topics such as milk labeling, raw milk sales, dairy checkoff programs, and animal welfare standards.

The Memorandum of Understanding — a working agreement to establish a vision and promote profitability for the regional dairy industry — was also re-signed by the heads of the state agriculture departments of Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont.

Milk labeling in particular has been a hot topic for Pennsylvania.

In October, Secretary of Agriculture Wolff announced a proposed plan to ban the use of milk-container labels stating that milk comes from cows not treated with synthetic bovine growth hormone (rbST).

Due to consumer demand for continued labeling, this plan was revised and last Thursday the state announced new guidelines. Instead of standardizing labeling completely, the new plan requires milk labels be uniform, not be misleading, and that there be a paper trail to verify the claims.

For instance, instead of a label simply stating “No BST,” — which is short for bovine somatotropin and occurs naturally in cows — the label must read “from cows not treated with rbST” (the synthetic version of the hormone). Most importantly, it must also clearly state that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST-treated cows.

In October, Wolff cited several dairies in New York and New England, stating they had to change their labels. Affected farms contacted for this story declined to be interviewed.

How does this compare with milk labeling standards in New York?

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture, New York is the nation’s third largest dairy state, generating $1.91 billion — over half of the state’s total agricultural receipts. The average dairy farm in New York State is family owned and consists of 95 cows, producing an average of 18,639 pounds of milk per cow per year.

“It is the goal of New York dairy to work in a consistent manner with regional policies toward a uniform Northeast requirement” said Will Francis of the division of milk control and dairy services.

And while Pennsylvania is working through its own kinks with milk labeling procedures, New York has an already established 10-point policy that is being continually re-evaluated against regional guidelines in Pennsylvania and Vermont.

The 10-point milk labeling policy of New York aims to offer similar protection for consumers that Pennsylvania is now implementing, and requires milk plants to meet the following standards before milk containers are labeled as rbST-free.

1. Signed affidavits from each of the producers whose milk is on the “non-rbST” load or loads.
2. Weight slips for each of the producers on the “non-rbST” loads. This should also include the time of pick-up of each producer.
3. The load or bulk route number.
4. T.700he tanker number.
5. The time the tanker was unloaded at the plant.
6. CIP charts showing cleaning of the tanker, as well as all lines, holding tanks, pasteurizer, filler, and any other equipment prior to putting any “non-rbST” milk into the system.
7. Pasteurizer recorder charts showing when and how much “non-rbST” milk was processed.
8. Which holding tank the “non-rbST” milk was placed into after pasteurization.
9. Which fillers were used to package the “non-rbST” milk.
10. A running container inventory, which should include the number of containers purchased, filled and sold.

In addition, New York does not allow the phrases “No bST” or “No Hormones” on milk labeling. Further, while it isn’t a requirement, there has been 100 percent compliance with firms adding the secondary clarifying FDA statement - also being required by Pennsylvania — somewhere on the label.

New York and Pennsylvania will continue to allow milk labeling for the consumer who demands the option of making their own choice. However, it is clear that the direction of milk labeling is also aimed at protecting the consumer — and holding milk processing plants responsible for backing up their claims.