Word: rifkin
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...first billion, BGH ran into a major roadblock: Rifkin. The activist has campaigned against everything from the space shuttle to beef consumption, but his single biggest beef is about genetically engineered food products...
...first glance, Rifkin's position on BGH -- that all dairy products from BGH-treated cows should be clearly labeled -- seems perfectly sensible. After all, shouldn't consumers get the data they need to make an informed choice? But Rifkin himself isn't above misleading the consumer. One of his anti-BGH ads shows a young child with a glass of milk and a caption that reads, "Was there a dose of artificial growth hormone in her milk this morning...
...dairy industry, for its part, says consumers needn't worry about antibiotics, because milk is routinely tested for the drugs and if they are found, the milk is discarded. Rifkin says such testing is insufficient...
Many of the nation's smaller dairy farmers are on Rifkin's side in the BGH battle. They are afraid that the hormone will produce a milk glut and drive down prices. But what dairy farmers large and small fear most is that the BGH controversy will scare off customers. Firms that have staked their reputation on purity -- manufacturers of baby formula and whole-earth companies like Ben & Jerry's and Stonyfield Farm -- have publicly forsworn the use of the hormone. Market surveys bear out industry concern, predicting a 10% decline in national milk consumption should BGH be widely used...
Kessler is likely to approve BGH for commercial use, but he will find himself under pressure to defend the decision to a fearful and skeptical public. Rifkin promises to make things as difficult as possible. He is set to launch a yearlong anti-BGH campaign that includes full-page newspaper ads, 30- second TV and radio spots, and a grass-roots boycott of companies that continue to use the hormone. "We've got a short list of potential targets," he declared before a packed hearing room last week. "Kraft, are you here? Safeway, are you here? Land-O-Lakes...