What is rBST?

In 1993, the FDA approved the use of Monsanto’s injectable rBST formula called Posilac. Simply put, it’s used to increase a cow’s ability to produce milk. Although the dairy industry has been allowed to use rBST in their cows for decades, we believe non-GMO and rBST-free milk is best. Sprouts proudly carries ALL rBST-free* milk and yogurt!

Let’s break it down

Cows naturally create bovine somatotropin (BST)—it’s a hormone produced in the pituitary gland. The “r” in front of BST stands for recombinant, which means it’s genetically modified using recombinant DNA technology** that’s created in a lab. When looking at labels, you may see rBGH-free, which stands for recombinant bovine growth hormone. This is also a man-made growth growth hormone designed to help cows produce more milk. rBST and rBGH yield the same results, but rBST provide the hormone somatotropin, and rBGH provides bovine growth hormone.

What about organic?

When you shop USDA Certified Organic milk, cheese or yogurts, you can feel confident it’s free from rBGH or rBST. Strict regulations are set by the USDA to prohibit the use of any synthetic hormone in certified organic products.

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Cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised … oh my!

With so many different eggs available in-store these days, it can be hard to distinguish which are right for you. Luckily, we make it easy to shop only the best eggs for you and your family! All of our Sprouts Brand eggs are cage-free or better and we strive to ensure any other brand we bring into our store upholds at least cage-free standards.

Cage-free: This means the animal is not contained in a cage and they are free to walk around in a shletered environemnt. However, this method doesn’t require the animal to have any outdoor access.

Free-range: The USDA’s definition for free-range requires the bird has access to the outdoors in some capacity. If a brand claims “free-range”, it often means that the animal has access to the outdoors but doesn’t mean they are certified free-range. The HFAC’s Certified Humane® requires at least 2 sq. ft. per bird with at least six hours of outside time per day.

Pasture-raised: This requires at least 108 sq. ft. of outdoor access year-round and indoor protection available for the animal in order to be certified pasture-raised.

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*Sprouts offers pasture-raised and other varieties of milk and eggs. Milk is pasturized before bottling, except in AZ and CA where raw milk is sold.

**Recombinant DNA technology is the joining together of DNA molecules from two different species that are inserted into a host organism to produce new genetic combinations that are of value to science, medicine, agriculture and industry.