HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Officials with Rutter's Dairy were set to be in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday to protest a decision by the state ordering Rutter's and other dairies to change the label on their milk, reported The Patriot-News.
Rutter's Dairy, sister company of the Rutter's Farm Stores convenience store chain, wants to keep using a "No Artificial Growth Hormones" label on milk sold by Rutter's, according to the newspaper.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced on October 24 that Rutter's and 15 other dairy companies [image-nocss] have until Jan. 1, 2008, to correct what the department said are "false or misleading" milk labels.
Of the 140 dairy companies whose labels have been reviewed to date, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said 16 use labels that are considered inaccurate or misleading because they contain claims that cannot be verified or imply that their product is safer than others through "absence labeling"telling consumers what is not present in the milk as opposed to what is.
Wolff said claims such as antibiotic-free and pesticide-free are misleading because all processed milk sold in Pennsylvania is tested a minimum of 10 times to guarantee that it is free of such substances, which are illegal for milk to contain.
Label claims that are inaccurate or that cannot be verified are also being seen in the marketplace, Wolff said. For example, some milk labels contain statements such as hormone-free, but all milk contains hormones. Some labels also claim the absence of synthetic hormones, but there is no scientific test that can determine the truth of this claim.
In addition, Wolff said some of the mislabeled products cost more than those labeled correctly, which affects low-income families.
Rutter's contended that the state had approved its "No Artificial Growth Hormones" label in August, only for the department to reverse itself with the ruling in October, said the report.
Neal Goulet, spokesperson for Rutter's, said company officials will hand-deliver letters to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly while at the capitol. He said the visit is part of a broader Rutter's campaign to "communicate" its artificial growth hormones labeling position by running full-page newspaper ads and handling out more than 100,000 information cards at Rutter's stores.
And Rutter's has posted a notice and link on the home page of its website that says, "Your right to know about the milk you're drinking. Please contact your state legislators and let them know how you feel. Click here to find out more."
York, Pa.-based Rutter's Farm Stores has 51 stores throughout central Pennsylvania. Rutter's Holdings Inc. is the parent company of Rutter's Dairy and Rutter's Farm Stores.
Fellow Pennsylvania retailer Wawa Inc. is in a similar situation to Rutter's. The Department of Agriculture issued its ruling about a week after the regional dairy and convenience retailer had unveiled its "No Artificial Growth Hormone" Farmers' Pledge and seal for its milk.
Although the Wawa, Pa.-based company did not comment directly on the labeling issue, spokesperson Lori Bruce told CSP Daily News, "Our commitment to selling the safest and highest quality products goes back to the opening of Wawa Dairy Farms in 1902, when we offered bottled milk that was doctor-certified safe. Offering artificial hormone-free milk furthers our commitment to offering our customers the quality they have come to expect from Wawa. The milk is available now in all of our stores, and we did not increase the price. Early on, we have had positive reaction from some of our customers who appreciate knowing that we only receive milk from farmers who pledge not to use artificial hormones."
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