Safeway's Lucerne Dairy Brand Goes rBST Free

June 14, 2011

More than 100 of Safeway’s Lucerne private label dairy products are now free of recombinant bovine growth hormone (also known as rBGH or rBST).

While Lucerne milk has been rBST free for some time, according to the Safeway blog, new rBST-free products now include butter, cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt, with more products to come.

All the farmers that supply Safeway’s Lucerne dairy products have pledged not to treat their cows with the artificial growth hormone.

Approved by the Food & Drug Administration in 1993, rBST is often injected into dairy cows to induce them to increase milk production, typically by 5 to 15 percent, according to the Organic Milk Corp., which estimates that15 to 20 percent of cows in the United States are injected with this hormone.

“While the FDA states that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST treated cows and milk derived from non-rBST treated cows, I’m just more comfortable with food that hasn’t been meddled with, particularly foods & beverages that my kids eat and drink so often,” Safeway’s blog says. “And, these products still have the same great taste and value that you’ve come to expect from Lucerne – now that gives me greater peace of mind!”

Comments (5) - Post a Comment

That's great news! Especially considering that 27 other countries including: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all European Union countries have banned rbgh / rbst because it's been found to cause cancer. I would call that a pretty significant reason why you should not feed your children this toxic dairy!

Emil at 11:45am EDT - July 4, 2011

It was banned in Canada because it causes increased udder infections in cows, NOT because it "causes cancer". Don't fuel the misconceptions fire. That being said, I only buy rBST-free!

Email2 at 2:57am EDT - August 16, 2011

I purchased a 2 pound package of shredded mozzarella cheese at my local Safeway the other day and used it on a dish in the microwave. The cheese did not melt. I cooked it for 2 minutes and recooked it for another minute. The cheese was still intact and did not taste like the regular cheese. I have bought your cheese many times and this is the first time this has happened. Have you changed something?

Mary Jacobson at 2:03am EDT - September 9, 2011

the sixpack of yogurt is the most resource wasteful packaging thing i've ever seen. Good yogurt, bad package.

roy s locke at 6:06am EST - January 14, 2012

I am a long-time user of your product Skim Supreme milk. I like this milk because it is fat-free but doesn't look like regular skim milk. The thick aspect is important to me. Now you have changed this product to the extent that it is just the same in appearance as regular skim milk. What's the point if it is no different? Please address this problem and correct the change so your Creamy fat free milk truly looks creamy.

carol collins at 12:02pm EST - January 25, 2012

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