What Does rBGH-Free Mean?

Milk products that are not produced with rBGH are labeled as such.

BGH stands for Bovine Growth Hormone , which is naturally produced by the pituitary gland of bovines (cattle)  to  regulate  growth and metabolism.

BGH is the layperson’s term for what is known in the scientific community as Bovine Somatotropin, or BST.

The small “r” in front of BGH or BST stands for “recombinant,” meaning that the BGH or BST is genetically engineered, and is therefore a synthetic version.

All milk contains naturally produced BGH, but rBGH can only be found in cows that have been injected with the synthetic version.

Milk from rBGH-treated cows may contain higher levels of Insulin Growth Factor 1, a hormone considered to be a high risk factor for breast, prostate, colon, lung, and other cancers. At this time, it is not clear that drinking milk, produced with or without rBGH treatment, increases blood IGF-1 levels into a range that might be of concern regarding cancer risk or other health effects. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/recombinant-bovine-growth-hormone.html

Cows given rBGH also experience higher rates of mastitis, a painful udder infection. Treatment for mastitis is typically with antibiotics. The U.S. Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) requires that all milk be sampled and analyzed for animal drug residues before the milk is processed. Any milk found positive is rejected for human consumption and reporting is mandatory. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not found a significant difference to exist between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows. We require no rBGH/RST in our dairy production.

We do not use rBGH in any of our dairy products, ever!

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