Milk consumers in the United States should note that most regular pasteurized milk comes from cows that have been given synthetic growth hormones, known confusingly under three different names: rBST, rBGH, and Posilac. They all refer to exactly the same thing: synthetic growth hormones that are injected into cows to make them produce more milk than they normally would.

Research shows that synthetic growth hormones in milk can increase the risk of cancer in milk consumers. As a result, synthetic growth hormones for cows is banned in many countries (but not in the United States where the hormones are made).

When you buy regular pasteurized milk in the USA the label says nothing about the milk containing synthetic growth hormones, yet over 95% of all pasteurized milk sold in regular supermarkets and stores contain synthetic growth hormones.

Many American consumers are increasingly concerned about synthetic hormones and as a result some companies (such as Starbucks and Wal-Mart) are changing to milk that is free of synthetic growth hormones.

How does deceptive milk labelling come into this?

When milk companies provide milk that is free of synthetic growth hormones they are labelling their milk as being “hormone free”. This is a big con because no milk is “hormone free”. All milk without exception contains bovine growth hormones known as IGF-1. These hormones are known to produce cancer in humans as evidenced by numerous studies over the years.

With regard to milk labelling, organic milk producers are the biggest culprits. A major selling point for U.S. organic milk is that it does not have synthetic growth hormones. Organic milk labels invariably state: “hormone, antibiotics and pesticide-free.” But this is wholly misleading because no kind of dairy milk can be hormone free.

So if milk is labelled “hormone free” it is not only deceptive but factually incorrect. Such labelling implies the milk has no growth hormones, and this is simply not so. Instead of labelling the milk “hormone free”, it could be labelled “rBST free”, “rBGH free”, “free of artificial growth hormones”, or even “free of synthetic growth hormones”.

All dairy milk without exception then contains harmful bovine growth hormones. On top of this, nearly all American milk also contains harmful synthetic growth hormones. This is why it is no exaggeration to say that it is deceptive to label any kind of milk as being “hormone free”.

But there is one big exception: plant-based milk contains no harmful hormones. Non-dairy milk made from nuts, seeds, rice, and soybeans is completely free of harmful hormones. Best of all, non-dairy milk is absolutely delicious and super-nutritious. For a free ebook on how to make fabulous nut & seed milk please see below.