WASHINGTON - December 3 - "Food & Water Watch's campaign to give public schools the option of serving artificial hormone-free or organic milk proves that grassroots action really works. As a result of public pressure, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) directed state and regional directors of nutrition programs to allow these healthier options in school cafeterias.

"The Food & Water Watch School Milk Campaign is a broad-based grassroots effort that includes parents, consumers, farmers, health professionals and teachers. They told their members of Congress and ultimately the USDA that children should have access to hormone-free and organic milk at school.

"This is one more nail in the rBGH coffin. Cows are injected with rBGH strictly for economic reasons - to get more milk from fewer cows. But along with that increased production comes negative health effects for the cows and potential harm to people drinking their milk. Based on the number of dairies that use rBGH in the United States, it is possible that at least 84 million gallons of milk from rBGH-treated cows were distributed through the school nutrition programs in 2005-2006. With this new option for schools to go rBGH-free, schools can provide healthier options for their students."