Right to Know: Interesting Update

by Expat Chef

Seems Pennsylvania's governor, Ed Rendell, has decided to review the state's Department of Agriculture's decision to ban labeling of dairy that is hormone-free or rBST-free. The directive was led by the state's Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff and passed despite the FDA allowing said labels that help inform consumers' choice.

The review follows a huge public outcry over the decision in a state that is the fourth-largest dairy producer in the nation. You can learn more about the current status of the issue in a Post-Gazette article.

A very interesting point in the discussion is that Dennis Wolff is not just the Secretary of the state's Department of Agriculture, but also a dairy farmer himself. Wolff formed formed the Food Labeling Advisory Committee which made the decision. The committee met only once, and had other dairy producers in its roster.