Wawa does away with artificial milk hormones

Wawa, Inc. announced that it will produce milk that is free of artificial growth hormones (rBST). The artificial bovine growth hormone will be eliminated from all milk that Wawa processes and sells at its 570 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, the company said.

To ensure that all products processed and packaged by Wawa and under the Wawa label are free of artificial growth hormone, Wawa said in an Oct. 15 announcement that it will purchase raw milk only from farmers who pledge, and sign legal affidavits, that they will not use artificial growth hormones in their cows. Customers will be able to see the "Farmers Pledge" through a seal on the label of all Wawa dairy products, the company said.

Wawa said that in recent years customers have shown increasing interest in natural products and a greater commitment to overall health and wellness.

"Our commitment to selling the safest and highest quality products goes back to the opening of Wawa Dairy Farms in 1902, when we offered bottled milk that was certified safe from cows that were guaranteed to be healthy and disease-free," said Howard Stoeckel, Wawa president and CEO.

All cows naturally produce Bovine somatotropin (bST), including those raised according to “organic” standards, the company said. Its biological function is to direct energy derived from a cow’s food to meet certain physical needs. An artificial version of this hormone was developed and called rBST – and some farmers inject it into cows to increase their milk production. While the FDA has concluded that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated cows and non-rbST-treated cows, some consumer groups are requesting a change, according to Wawa.

"An increasing number of customers are requesting dairy products free of artificial growth hormone," said Stoeckel, 'so we are thrilled to be able to offer them the safest and most natural choice available in our market.'

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pa, in 1902. The milk business was a success due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George Wood’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products.