Tell Yoplait to "Put a Lid on rBGH"!

Minneapolis, MN, October, 2008 - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you've seen the ads by now. Yoplait has undertaken a campaign called Save Lids to Save Lives in which consumers are encouraged to look for the cups of Yoplait yogurt with pink foil lids. The company will donate 10 cents to the fight against breast cancer for every cup of yogurt with these special lids that consumers purchase. 

Yoplait touts its yogurt as being healthy for women, but what's inside is anything but.

Yoplait's products are made from milk from cows treated with the genetically-engineered hormone rBGH, or recombinant bovine growth hormone. The hormone rBGH, also known as rBST, is used to force cows to produce more milk. More and more research suggests breast cancer, as well as a number of other health concerns, are associated with the consumption of dairy products from cows injected with rBGH.

Click here to tell Yoplait to eliminate rBGH from their products

The research shows that injecting rBGH stimulates the production of another hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which regulates cell growth, division, and differentiation.

The research also indicates that these higher levels of IGF-1 make their way into the milk produced by those cows injected with rBGH. While IGF-1 is a naturally-occurring hormone in both cows and humans, studies have indicated that elevated levels of IGF-1 in humans may increase the risk of breast cancer.

Increased levels of IGF-1 have also been associated with prostate, colon, and other cancers. Although the connection between rBGH and these cancers is not (yet) definitive, there is now more than sufficient evidence to take precautionary steps and to limit its use. In fact, the use of rBGH has already been banned in Australia, Canada, Japan, and all 27 countries in the European Union. In addition, the use of rBGH increases the need for antibiotics in cows; these antibiotics make their way into the milk these cows produce. Consumption of products made from this milk can lead to increased antibiotic resistance in humans.

Click here and tell Yoplait to do everything they can to stop breast cancer - by going rBGH-free

The good news is that consumers like you are making their voices heard and are demanding rBGH-free dairy products - and dairy companies are listening. In addition to the many companies that offer rBGH-free products, big-box stores and food and beverage chains like Wal-Mart, Publix, Kroger, Starbucks, and Chipotle have committed to reducing or completely eliminating dairy products made with rBGH from their stores. Click here for a state-by-state list of rBGH-free products from Sustainable Table. 

Citizens for Health believes that all consumers should have access to rBGH-free dairy products. Adding Yoplait to the list of companies that have pledged to make their products without the use of artificial hormones would mean more choice for consumers and would have an even greater impact on stopping breast cancer.

For more information:

Think Before You Pink

Sustainable Table 

Food and Water Watch