AGA Standards Give Consumers Confidence in the Integrity of Dairy Products labeled “pasture-raised” or “Grassfed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2017

Contact: Katherine Paul, 207-653-3090, katherine@organicconsumers.org

FINLAND, Minn. – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today endorsed the American Grassfed Association’s new standards for the certification of dairy products from cows raised entirely on pasture.

“As consumers become more conscious of the health, environmental and animal welfare benefits of milk and dairy products from cows raised exclusively on pasture, the market for these products is taking off,” said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association. “Until now, there has been no national standard to which 100% grassfed dairy products could be certified. As a result, some companies, eager to cash in on a growing trend, have misled consumers with labels that falsely imply their products come from cows raised only on pasture, when in fact the cows have also been fed grain.

“Consumers can now rely on the fact that products certified to the AGA’s new standards, the result of a year’s worth of collaboration among dairy producers, retailers, scientists and certifiers, are of the highest quality and integrity,” Cummins said.

According to the AGA:

The AGA Grassfed Standards incorporate a forage based diet on open pasture, animal health and welfare, no antibiotics, no added hormones. The standards are written by and for producers to support American family farms and provide a fair and sustainable market for their products, better for the consumer, better for the earth and better for the animal. The standard recognizes that the US is geographically and climatically diverse and that grassfed dairy production without limited science based supplementation may not be feasible in some regions of the country. These standards apply to all farms and ranches approved by the American Grassfed Association (AGA) for the production grassfed products destined for certification by AGA. Only licensees certified as following these AGA Grassfed Standards may use AGA’s American Grassfed Association â logos, Association trademarks, service marks, and/or design marks hereafter called AGA Design Mark on their food and agriculture product packaging and promotional material.

About the Organic Consumers Association
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization advocating on behalf of more than two million consumers for health, justice, and sustainability. For more information, please visit  organicconsumers.org.