That’s what you get for pissing off Ben & Jerry’s! Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has been getting gallons of flak from free-speech advocates and progressive dairies. Why? Beginning on February 1, the PDA was scheduled to ban dairies from labeling their products as free of rBGH, an artificial growth hormone produced by Missouri-based agri-biz giant Monsanto (See “Ben & Jerry’s to Monsanto: Paws Off Our Label!”, 1.16.08)

Thanks to consumer feedback and the efforts of companies like Ben & Jerry’s, which sent a letter of petition to Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, the gov’s office has overturned the ban. There’s one stipulation: Companies that label their products as rBGH-free must also include verbiage indicating that milk containing the growth hormone is just as wholesome as milk without it.

This article appears in Jan 23-29, 2008.

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Former contributor Suzanne Podhaizer is an award-winning food writer (and the first Seven Days food editor) as well as a chef, farmer, and food-systems consultant. She has given talks at the Stone Barns Center for Agriculture's "Poultry School" and its...