Parents in Canada, 28 European Member States, Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Japan don't have to worry about their children being exposed to bovine growth hormone in school lunch milk. That's because those countries have all banned the use and import of U.S. BGH milk and dairy products.

Back in the USA, although overall milk consumption has decreased by something like 10 percent, the sale of USDA certified organic milk is said to be growing by an annual 25 percent. The price gap is also narrowing... thanks to, I really choke up when I type this, Wal-Mart.

So there's a surplus of milk and still Monsanto pushes farmers to buy its rBGH, the genetically altered form of BGH. rBGH is said to be used in about 1/3 of dairy farms. This is good for Monsanto but of course bad for cows and consumers. How bad? Read about what it does to cows and why they then have to be given antibiotics to keep them alive in this book by Dr. Samuel Epstein, What's in your Milk? An introduction by Ben Cohen, Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, can be found here.

From the Forward to this book:

The risks of cancer to consumers and particularly their children, especially those enrolled in the Public School Lunch Program, are undisputable.

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Epstein also details evidence of interlocking conflicts of interest between Monsanto and the White House, regulatory agencies, and the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society. He also details evidence of Monsanto's white collar crime; the suppression and manipulation of information on the veterinary and public health dangers of rBGH milk; and evidence of Monsanto's "Hit Squad", which attempted to stifle and discredit him.

Of compelling interest is the story behind Fox Television's firing of Jane Akre, a veteran journalist, following her in-depth interview on rBGH with Dr. Epstein, his subsequent day-long deposition by Monsanto on her behalf, her subsequent litigation against Fox, and Fox's successful counter suit.

Cheap organic milk is not going to get me into Wal-Mart, but perhaps downward pressure on the price of organic milk will make it more available elsewhere. We buy our lowfat organic milk at Costco.

Dr. Epstein's book is available from Amazon.com .