The issue of rBGH is a controversial one, with few places to turn to for objective information. While I don’t necessarily support pinning a bigger issue on the most visible company that is even slightly associated with it, I do believe that people inherently trust their health and well being in the activities of companies and that therefore companies have a responsibility to endeavor to ensure the health and well being of their customers.

What is rBGH? rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is a genetically engineered version of the Bovine Growth Hormone. In the US, farmers often use POSILAC, which is produced by the agricultural biotech company, Monsanto, to increase milk production in dairy cattle. It is banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the EU. According to one of the few objective resources I could find (PubMed), rBST increased the risk of a cow failing to conceive by 40% and increased the risk of developing clinical signs of lameness by 55%. There are concerns, but no hard data that I have seen, that rBST causes sterility, infertility, birth defects, cancer, and immunological derangements. There simply is enough information out there to have me, and lots of others concerned about the potentially harmful effects of rGBH in milk.

Back to the inherent trust that we consumers put in companies… about 7 years ago I owned a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport, which I bought to get around while at college. Shortly after purchasing the car, news broke out that the Firestone tires on most Explorers were defective, and causing blowouts, which are bad news in an already far-from-hard-to-roll-over SUV. Yet, when I went to the dealership, I discovered that Firestone had only recalled some of the tires, but not mine. Did I feel safe? Absolutely not. Weeks later I received a letter from Ford, not Firestone, revealing that Ford had committed to replacing my tires, regardless of Firestone’s hesitation to recall all of their production lots. Ford did the right thing and initiated a full recall of the tires, because it was its car, its supplier, and its reputation at risk, and the company really valued my business.

As a result of my concern about rBGH, I have elected to only buy milk from my local Costco and Trader Joe’s, which both simply don’t sell milk from cows that are treated with rBGH.

If I worked for Starbucks, I would feel terrible for neglecting to address this concern if it was later proven that rBGH imposes a health risk to people, just as Ford would have sincerely regretted ignoring the unfair risk posed by Firestone’s limited recall on the health and well being of their Explorer owners and that of their families. Therefore, I believe that Starbucks could really do the right thing here by either leading an objective study that endeavors to publicly prove or disprove the health risks of rBGH, once and for all, or simply make the switch, to isolate Starbucks and its loyal customers from the potential health risks. During the investigation and/or transition, I would also recommend that Starbucks offer soy milk as a substitute to dairy milk at no additional charge to its customers. By doing the right thing now and ensuring the health, well-being, and trust of its loyal customers, Starbucks executives and employees with always be recognized for their pioneering efforts in “putting people before products,” just as is written on their website.