What Does rBST Free Mean?
Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) is a synthetic version of the Bovine somatotropin (BST) hormone found in cattle. The hormone is used by many commercial dairies to increase milk production. It’s been marketed under a number of names, but most consumers know it as rBST or BST. The use of rBST has met with some controversy from a variety of fronts, including the animal rights movement and some commercial dairy farmers. As a result, dairies that produce milk products without the use of rBST have begun indicating this on their labels. Though rBST has been banned in several countries, the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States has determined it to be safe to consume. BST is a natural hormone that can be found in the pituitary glands of all cows. Researchers who studied BST in cows found that cows with elevated levels of the hormone produced more milk. They also discovered that BST extracted from one cow and injected into another would result in higher levels of milk prod
