The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has revised their state milk labeling regulations, giving dairy processors 120 days to comply with the new rules regarding rBST-free claims.
The ODA’s revision, which reduces the size of an on-label FDA-mandated disclaimer, came after a March 12 public meeting in which industry, processors and consumers expressed concern about the mooted rules that control the manner in which milk derived from cows not treated with rBST can be marketed.
The ODA says the regulations are intended to level the playing field between the two milk sources but processors who accept milk from producers who use rBST are opposed in principle to such labeling because they assert it unfairly implies milk derived from cows given rBST is compositionally different to milk sourced from cows not given rBST when it is not, thus misleading the public.
The ODA revision retains the FDA disclaimer but allows it to be half the size of the ‘free from growth hormones’ claim. Processors have been granted 120 days to comply.
The Washington DC-based International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said while the revision was a step in the right direction it did not “fully address the concerns raised by dairy processors and consumers.”
“These changes are a step in the right direction, but they still inhibit dairy processors from conveying information about the use of artificial hormones that consumers want to know,” said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president.
The ODA has scheduled a hearing on the revised rule for April 8, and the Ohio Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review will review it during an April 21 hearing.