10. Monsanto     having a cow in milk label dispute
    'Hormone free' tag unfair, company says

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-070415monsanto-story,0,7410348.story?coll=chi-bizfront-hed     
    
    By Stephen J. Hedges
    Chicago Tribune staff reporter
    Published April 15, 2007

WASHINGTON --     Agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. is challenging a growing trend among     dairies to label their milk "hormone free," saying those claims     mislead consumers into believing that the cow growth hormone Monsanto makes     is unsafe.
    
    In an action that could send ripples through the food industry, St.     Louis-based Monsanto is moving aggressively against a group of dairies to     halt the use of "hormone free." It said that such labels suggest     that there is something unhealthy about its synthetic hormone drug.
    
    In letters filed recently with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and     the Federal Trade Commission, Monsanto protests that milk labels touting     the fact that cows did not receive the hormone—known as rGBH, rBST or     Posilac—have unfairly damaged its business, as well as that of dairy     farmers who use the drug on their cows.
    
    The FDA has found no difference in the milk produced by cows that received     rBST and those that did not, Monsanto says. The hormone increases milk     production by about 10 percent.
    
    Monsanto's action reflects a shift in the food industry in recent years, as     consumers demand more natural and organic foods and seek labeling that     explains just what went into their production. Cartons of eggs, for     example, increasingly boast that the chickens that produced them were     "cage-free." Beef is marketed as "grass-fed." Dairies     began tagging milk as "hormone free" soon after Monsanto won FDA     approval for its growth hormone in 1993.
    
    The food producers who use such labels say consumers have the right to know     what is in their food and that they are responding to buyers' desires.
    
    "Our customers tell us this is what they want," said Stanley     Bennett, president of Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, Maine, which sells     no-hormone milk. "They ask us for this."
    
    Monsanto's latest claims renew a fight the company started several years     ago when it sued Oakhurst, which is owned by Bennett's family. The case was     settled in 2003 when Oakhurst agreed to include language on its labels that     explains that the FDA has found no significant difference between milk from     cows that were given rGBH, and those that did not get the hormone.

Dairy pushes pledge

Bennett and Oakhurst,     though, have hardly shied away from using the no-hormones pitch in selling     dairy products. The dairy pays farmers not to use the hormone.
    
    "Oakhurst knows that consumers want a choice," its Web site says.     "So Oakhurst will continue working only with local farmers who pledge     not to use artificial growth hormone."
    
    Monsanto contends that its hormone does not affect the cows' health or     their milk's taste. An FDA review of the drug during its approval process     found no difference between milk from cows that did or did not receive the     growth hormone.
    
    "False and deceptive advertising regarding milk and (rBST) has mislead     consumers for years," Monsanto states in its complaint to the FTC.     "These practices are clear violations of the Federal Trade Commission     Act and result in higher milk price for consumers and less choice for dairy     farmers."
    
    While Monsanto won't release sales figures for its hormone, company     spokesman Andrew Burchett said that "about a third of the dairy cows     in the U.S. are in herds where farmers choose to use Posilac."
    
    Posilac is the company's trademark name for the hormone.
    
    In Illinois, the state Department of Public Health reached a settlement     with three dairy producers in 1997 that resolved a federal lawsuit over     "hormone free" claims on labels. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice     Cream, Organic Valley Farms, a producer of diary and other items, and Stonyfield     Farms, whose main product is yogurt, sued the state after it declined their     request to use the "hormone free" language.
    
    The Illinois settlement allows milk producers to use labels that read:     "We oppose rBGH. The family farmers who supply our milk pledge not to     treat their cows with rBGH."
    
    Those labels must also include language that the FDA has not found a     difference between milk produced from rBGH cows and those cows not given     the hormone.
    
    That's what is on milk labels sold at Whole Food Markets in Illinois and     elsewhere.
    
    "Our customers are very interested in it," said Will Betts, the     Midwest region grocery coordinator for Whole Foods Market Inc. "They     are concerned with a lot of factors. They're concerned with what they put     in their bodies. While it's true that the studies haven't proven any     difference [between milk from rBGH cows and those not given rBGH], they     still want the most natural product they can get. The other issue is that     they're concerned about the land and the animals."

Monsanto answers critics

In that regard, Whole Foods notes that     "recent studies have supported earlier conclusions regarding the     negative effects of rBGH/rBST on dairy cows. A report by the Canadian     Veterinary Medical Association on rBGH/rBST in November 1998 indicates that     there are quantifiable reductions in the health of the cows treated with     rBGH/rBST."
    
    Monsanto's Burchett disputed those findings. In an e-mail, he said the     Canadian study "was not as comprehensive in its review of the     scientific literature on rBST as the U.S. FDA pre- and post-approval review     of Posilac."
    
    He also said the study "included data based on the use of different     product formulations, dose levels and application practices of prototype     products from more than one company that were never approved for commercial     use."
    
    "Farmers depend on the health and well-being of their herds and will     not choose to use products that are not beneficial," Burchett said.     "A large number of dairy producers have used Posilac with great     success since the product was introduced 13 years ago."
    
    An FDA spokeswoman said the agency would have no immediate response to     Monsanto's most recent complaint, which was submitted April 3.
    
    But in a statement, the agency said: "This drug was only approved     after FDA established that it is effective and safe. Effectiveness means     that Posilac does what the company claims (increases milk production).     Safety covers three main areas: safety of the food products to humans,     safety to the target animal (the cow) and safety to the environment."
    
    Monsanto's complaint includes examples of labels and advertisement from 13     dairies.
    
    For instance, milk from HP Hood, a diary operator based in Chelsea, Mass.,     carried a label that had "No Artificial Growth Hormones" on the     package, along with an attached note that read "To Satisfy Our     Customers."
    
    Dutch-Way Dairy in Pennsylvania sells milk with labels touting, "No     Added BST The way it's meant to be!"
    
    That marketing logic, Monsanto complains, distorts the research on Posilac     and the FDA's conclusions.
    
    The "claim that milk from non-supplemented cow is healthier for     children is patently false," Monsanto writes. "There is no     evidence to suggest that milk from rBST-supplemented cows has any adverse     developmental effect on children."
    
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11.     Home Grown

By: Kelli B. Kavanaugh, 5/3/2007

Local food is more than a rage     (hopefully…)

Metromode     May 4, 2007

Farmers     markets have been around as long as there have been people living in     groups. In North America, while large urban centers like Los Angeles, New     York and Toronto have always supported—and been supported     by—markets, they haven't always been a prioritized part of small- or     medium-sized town life—goodbye, Farmer Jack and hello Farmer     Jack's!

That     is all changing—nationally, statewide and locally. 

Across     the country, thanks to visionaries like Alice Waters and     successful grocers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's people are starting to     think locally and seasonally about their food. 

Plus,     admit it, is that tomato you slice up in February even all that good? If     you are fooled in to thinking so, when you finally taste one in June, you     probably say, "Ahhh…tomato! This is what they are supposed to     taste like!"

Best-selling     author Barbara     Kingsolver tackles the of-the-moment issue in her latest book,     "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life," in which she     and her family live one year from food produced near their southwest     Virginia farm. In a recent interview     with Salon.com, she sums up what many people are talking about. 

"Food     is the one consumer choice we have to make every day. We can use that     buying power in a transaction that burns excessive fossil fuels, erodes     topsoil, supports multinationals that pay their workers just a few bucks a     day -- or the same money could strengthen neighborhood food economies, keep     green spaces alive around our towns, and compensate farmers for applying     humane values. Every purchase weighs in on one side or the other."

Up in     northern Michigan, the fine folks at the Michigan     Land Use Institute are spearheading a campaign called Taste the Local Difference that     connects individuals, restaurants and institutions to locally-grown food.     Their reasoning is economic as well as anti-sprawl: strengthening Michigan     farms in turn strengthens urban areas. Kind of like "the enemy of your     enemy is your friend" line of reasoning…

In     Southeastern Michigan, the Food     System Economic Partnership is doing much the same thing—linking     local community-supported agriculture farms like Maple     Creek Farm to institutions like The Henry Ford.

So     what about the average Joe or Jolene who wants to stock their shelves and     fridges with goodies that are shipped over less mileage, support the local     economy and frankly, taste a hell of a lot better than your average     supermarket mango? This area offers a wide range of farmers markets, from     those serving just a neighborhood up through smaller suburbs and cities to     those serving a region. 

A bountiful harvest

Southeastern     Michigan's two largest cities are well-served by markets. Ann     Arbor's, located in quaint Kerrytown, is open year-round on Saturdays     and adds Wednesdays beginning in May. It boasts over 150 stalls with not     just locally-grown fruits and vegetables, but plants and bulbs and baked     goods and homemade jams, salsas, honey, and the like. The market is a     "third place" of sorts for Ann Arborites—a place in the     community, for the community, open to all.

Detroit's     Eastern     Market is truly one of  the gems of the state. It has     operated since 1891 in its current location, anchored by several historic     sheds and surrounded by specialty shops, tasty restaurants and produce wholesalers.     Increasingly a mixed-use district, Eastern Market is a sure bet not just     for an aspiring Naked Chef, but     for any resident of Michigan who wants to show a guest just how much we     really do have going on around here.

Over     40,000 people visit Eastern Market on a peak Saturday from all over     Michigan, Ohio and Ontario. Locally-grown delicacies like morels and     organic spinach and crisp Michigan apples are sold just stalls away from     exotic vegetables that may require an American native to reference a cook     book or dictionary for identification.

The     outdoor market stalls are surrounded by lofts, art galleries, antique     shops, restaurants and specialty markets with amazing cheese, spice, olive     and wine selections, to name just a few. Eastern Market is a market that     acts symbiotically with the neighborhood around it—more than a     market, it is a micro-economy that runs 24 hours, from slaughterhouse     operations that begin in the wee hours of the morning to omelets with spicy     bloody Marys to fat corned beef sandwiches or spicy Thai noodles to     late-night art gallery dance parties that wrap up well, in the wee hours of     the morning.

For     detailed information on Eastern Market's special events, shops and other     amenities, check out Model D's Visit     Guide.

Little cities big on vegetables

Many     of Southeastern Michigan's more vibrant small cities and towns offer their     residents a seasonal downtown farmers market. Most function only through     warmer months, so are thus open at least from May through October. They     tend to carry not just produce, but locally-produced goods like honey,     maple syrup and jams.

These     smaller-scale farmers markets can be found in:

     
• Farmington          at the Walter E. Sundquist Pavilion in Riley Park;
     
• Northville          at 7 Mile & Sheldon;
     
• Plymouth          right next-door to the Penn Theatre;
     
• Mt. Clemens          just east of downtown on N. River Road;
     
• Grosse Pointe          Park's West Park Farmer's Market  is on Kercheval between          Lakepointe and Beaconsfield;
     
• Downtown Rochester's          Farmers Market is at E. Third and Water Street;
     
• Birmingham's          doesn't get up and running until July; and
     
• Ypsilanti's is located at the Freighthouse          Plaza on both Wednesdays and Saturdays.
    

Perhaps     not even qualifying as "little," Royal Oak's Farmers Market is     open year-round on Saturdays and houses a complementary flea market on     Sundays. It's been around for over 80 years, and is one of the few markets     at which Maple Creek Farm's organic produce is available.

Urban farming and neighborhood markets

Some     local farmers markets exist for reasons much more basic than as a place to     shop for white asparagus and bouquets of flowers. The Garden     Resource Program Collaborative—a joint project of Greening of     Detroit, Detroit Agriculture Network, Earth     Works Urban Garden and Michigan State University Extension—works     to promote urban farming and community gardening in Detroit, Highland Park     and Hamtramck. Their motivation? Food security, both for individuals and     the community-at-large. One has only to look at last year's E. coli-laden spinach scare to     witness the effects of mass contamination.

As     their network of urban gardeners expands and grows ever more sophisticated,     GRP has formed a Market Workgroup that teaches marketing, packing and other     skills to families looking to take in some extra income in exchange for     their extra produce.

GRP     runs markets in Highland Park and Detroit neighborhoods Corktown and     Rosedale Park. Wayne State University urban planning professor Kami     Pothukucki has logged years of research around the concept of food security     in urban areas, particularly Detroit. She explains what is so important     about the concept, and why farmers markets are one way of meeting that mark.     

"From     a food security perspective, food needs to be fresh and healthy and these     food needs are to be met in ways that are affordable, convenient and in     ways that meet cultural preferences. Farmers can provide that readily and     from the other side, small farmers, small growers can make cash. People who     grow in cities, in city lots, can produce enough produce to sell, which can     be a fairly substantial supplement to your income if you are willing to put     in the labor."

Another     benefit to locally-grown produce is the distance, or lack thereof, that     food travels to reach its end consumer. Pothukuchi says, "This is a     very important aspect because it brings food not transported over long     distances, it reduces the amount food has to travel and allows consumers to     see how it is grown. There's income support, then there's this whole aspect     of people knowing where their food comes from. It's hard to care very much     when we don't know where it comes from."

Economic     benefits are another farmers market positive that Pothukcuchi has studied.     "Farmers markets are important as they are for the market environment     they create and the buzz they create for places. They are tools for much     larger objectives, regional objectives in terms of economic     benefits." 

She     cites a study that shows that money spent at markets stays in the     community. "Ten dollars spent in the market can result in $20 worth of     business in the surrounding area."

Kelli     B. Kavanaugh is metromode's innovation news editor and Model D's development news editor. Her     last article for metromode was From Rust     Belt To Green Belt.