Difference between revisions of "Dennis Wolff"

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How did Wolff justify his action? He claimed that “Consumers are concerned or confused about product labeling. It’s a subject the department continues to receive many calls about.”<ref>[http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?A=390&Q=145995 Agriculture Department notifies companies about false or misleading milk and dairy product labels], Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture website, 24 Oct 2007, accessed 13 July 2009</ref>
 
How did Wolff justify his action? He claimed that “Consumers are concerned or confused about product labeling. It’s a subject the department continues to receive many calls about.”<ref>[http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?A=390&Q=145995 Agriculture Department notifies companies about false or misleading milk and dairy product labels], Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture website, 24 Oct 2007, accessed 13 July 2009</ref>
  
However, when a reporter for the New York Times asked for evidence to back up this claim,
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However, when a reporter for the New York Times asked for evidence of this alleged consumer concern or confusion,
 
:Mr. Wolff’s office acknowledged that it had no consumer research to back up his claim.<ref>Andrew Martin, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/business/09feed.html Fighting on a Battlefield the Size of a Milk Label], New York Times, 9 March 2008, accessed 13 July 2009</ref>
 
:Mr. Wolff’s office acknowledged that it had no consumer research to back up his claim.<ref>Andrew Martin, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/business/09feed.html Fighting on a Battlefield the Size of a Milk Label], New York Times, 9 March 2008, accessed 13 July 2009</ref>
  

Revision as of 17:22, 14 July 2009

Dennis Wolff is Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, a dairy farmer, and a user of Monsanto's controversial genetically engineered bovine growth hormone rBGH. Wolff introduced legislation in Pennsylvania that would have banned the labelling of milk as being produced without rBGH.

How did Wolff justify his action? He claimed that “Consumers are concerned or confused about product labeling. It’s a subject the department continues to receive many calls about.”[1]

However, when a reporter for the New York Times asked for evidence of this alleged consumer concern or confusion,

Mr. Wolff’s office acknowledged that it had no consumer research to back up his claim.[2]

The story is taken up by Rick North of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR):

In response [to Wolff's attempt to ban rBGH-free labels], Oregon PSR and our nationwide and PA colleagues organized a massive grass roots effort to protest to Governor Ed Rendell. After receiving thousands of messages of outrage, he told Wolff to rescind the ban.[3]

In July 2009 Wolff's name surfaced again. Blogger Jill Richardson warned that US President Barack Obama was considering Wolff for the position of USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety.[4]

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Notes

  1. Agriculture Department notifies companies about false or misleading milk and dairy product labels, Pennsylvania Dept of Agriculture website, 24 Oct 2007, accessed 13 July 2009
  2. Andrew Martin, Fighting on a Battlefield the Size of a Milk Label, New York Times, 9 March 2008, accessed 13 July 2009
  3. Alert: Dennis Wolff Being Considered for Sec. of Agriculture, Organic Consumers Association website, 5 December 2008, accessed 13 July 2009
  4. HELL NO to Dennis Wolff!!, La Vida Locavore blog, 10 July 2009, accessed 13 July 2009