Milking Time

As expected, the exclusive we broke Thursday on Dean Foods got a bit of attention, raising questions about where cloning is headed.

Tom Philpot over at Grist opined that Dean's decision showed the power of consumer choice: "If Dean holds to its promise, the whole cloned-cow thing could die an ignominious death, rejected by increasingly aware consumers. Similar consumer outrage is also convincing big dairy users to stop buying milk from cows treated with Monsanto's odious bovine growth hormones."

Karen Robinson-Jacobs, giving Chews Wise credit for breaking the story at The Dallas Morning News, also raised the question of what this means for cloning. She called it "a decision from the nation's largest dairy producer that could put a damper on the commercial viability of such products in the United States."

Meanwhile, The Ethicurean noted that "the parts of Dean Foods’ official statement that Fromartz quotes do not mention whether the company will take a position on dairy products from the progeny of cloned cows." This is a very important point, but also a complicated one that I will take up in a later post. It's especially muddy when it comes to organic milk, because of other loopholes in the regulations regarding the source of organic livestock. But it's complicated so needs a story on its own.

As for the AP, Libby Quaid blasted the news through the nation, but failed to give credit to the news source that broke it (as is customary in the news biz). We wonder if the AP would have done the same had the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post broke the story. We broke it. Quaid confirmed it and should have noted where it originated.

Addendum: AP apologies in this email from Quaid

Congrats on your Dean Foods scoop. We've updated the latest version of our Dean Foods story to include that your blog was first to report the company's policy. My apologies ... Was rushed trying to match your story late yesterday.

Comments

[Ed Parman]

Can anyone show me any absolute proof that milk from a cloned cow is any different from that of any other? This whole topic has generated nothing more than a "boat load" of crap.
And, it is pseudo-intelligence from those who know absolutely nothing.