Dean Baker catches Monsanto cowering in fear before the free market. Apparently, the agribusiness giant is lobbying state legislatures to outlaw that little line on ice cream cartons where some producers note that their cows aren't treated with growth hormones. Monsanto claims such labeling implies that growth hormones are bad for you, and there's no scientific evidence for this view (nor, should it be said, is there evidence against this view. For now, we just don't know). Baker replies:The basic point here is very simple. It matters not one iota what the science shows about the health impact of growth hormones. (Are Nike shoes better because Michael Jordon endorses them? Has anyone proposed outlawing celebrity product endorsements?) If people don't want to buy ice cream that comes from cows fed with growth hormones, then they should have that option. Any restriction that prevents people from being able to buy hormone free ice cream imposes costs on consumers and the economy -- that is economics 101.Monsanto is terrified that a better market -- one in which consumers have access to more information -- will hurt their sales. And they're probably right. But if people want to buy milk from cows spoken to only in soft voices and given a compliment each morning, they should be able to do so. And if Monsanto wants their business, they can change their production practices.(Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Barcode.)
