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*The recent groundswell of US state activity surrounding the issue of rbST (recombinant bovine growth hormone) and labelling claims continues, as legislators in Kansas, Vermont and now Missouri are considering bills that would severely restrict the types of labels dairy processors can use. *

In addition, the governors of Ohio and Utah have proposed new labeling regulations.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) opposes these efforts and has urged the Governors of Ohio and Utah and members of the Kansas Senate to protect the consumer's right to make purchasing decisions based on truthful and not-misleading product labels.

Processors and, until recently, most states, have followed the uniform labelling guidance regarding rbST that was issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994. The new regulations proposed by these states and a growing number of others would deny consumers the right to receive – and dairy processors the right to provide – information about whether the products contain milk from cows not treated with rbST. And because the details of the proposals vary from state to state, they could result in a patchwork of regulations that would place a heavy burden on interstate suppliers.

"Most dairy processors market across state lines," said IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton in her letter to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. "Requiring those companies to change labels for dairy products on a state by state basis will unnecessarily add costs to dairy products."

Tipton made a similar appeal to Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, adding that the state's proposal could lead to less milk being consumed, fewer dairy farmers and a decline in economic activity in the state. In both letters, Tipton urges the governors to reject new regulations in favour of the existing FDA guidance on rbST absence claims.