Thank you for contacting General Mills concerning BST.

BST (bovine somatotropin) is a hormone naturally found in cows. The synthetic version of this hormone (not to be confused with a steroid hormone) has been subjected to extensive testing. The Food & Drug Administration, American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture along with a number of other science-based organizations have concluded that there are no food safety issues in conjunction with milk produced by BST-supplemented cows.

Because BST is naturally found in all cows’ milk, there is no scientific way to test the milk to determine if the BST present is from synthetic sources or natural sources. The amount of BST present in milk will not be greater from a synthetic source than it would be occurring naturally.

For more information about Bovine Somatotropin (BST) or Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) you may wish to visit the United States Department of Agriculture′s website at www.usda.gov.

We hope you will continue to enjoy our products.

BCA’s Response to General Mills

Dear General Mills,

Thank you for responding to my concerns regarding the safety issues surrounding rBGH.

While bovine growth hormone does occur naturally in cows, recombinant bovine growth hormone (which is what I was referring to) does not. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST) is a genetically engineered version of the natural hormone.

rBGH was approved by the FDA on the basis of one study, which looked at the health impacts of rBGH on 30 rats over the course of 90 days. It was evaluated as an animal drug, which meant that the safety standards were significantly lower than they would have been had it been evaluated as a human drug.

Since its approval in 1993, numerous studies have found connections between the use of rBGH and several diseases. I understand that there is no way to test for rBGH in milk. The main concern is that milk from cows stimulated with rBGH will have higher levels of IGF-1. Increased levels of IGF-1 have been linked to breast and other cancers.

The American Medical Association’s (AMA) Council on Scientific Affairs stated in 1991 that, “Further studies will be required to determine whether ingestion of higher than normal concentrations of bovine IGF-1 is safe for children, adolescents, and adults.” In 2008, AMA President Ronald Davis said, “Hospitals should buy meat and poultry raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics, use milk produced without recombinant bovine growth hormone, and replace unhealthy snacks found in many vending machines with healthy choices.”

Although rBGH has been approved in the United States, most other industrialized nations have banned its use. The United Nations’ Codex Alimentarus, the UN’s main food safety body, has concluded that there is not enough evidence that rBGH is safe.

I believe it is better to be safe than to be sorry. There is significant evidence now to warrant concerns about this synthetic hormone. I would prefer to avoid dairy products produced with rBGH, rather than wait until the day we have absolute proof of its toxicity.

I urge General Mills to join companies like Wal-Mart and Starbucks in doing the right thing for public health by going rBGH-free, and help pave the way for other companies to follow.

Thank you for responding to my inquiry.