Some dairies that sell milk in Pennsylvania use product labels that are false or misleading.

That's according to state Department of Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, who on Wednesday ordered 16 companies to correct the labels by Jan. 1.

Wolff said in a news release that 16 of the 140 dairy companies the department has reviewed use inaccurate or misleading labels because they contain claims that cannot be verified, or they imply their product is safer than others by telling consumers what's not in the milk.

Wolff said claims such as "antibiotic-free" and "pesticide-free" are misleading because all processed milk sold in Pennsylvania is tested at least 10 times to guarantee that it is free of such substances. They are illegal in milk.

Some milk labels say "hormone-free," but all milk contains hormones. Some labels claim the absence of synthetic hormones, but no scientific test can determine the truth of this claim.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau spokesman Mark O'Neill applauded the crackdown on the misleading labels.

"Our members fear that confusion could turn consumers off to buying safe milk products," he said today. "They might instead buy soda because it's cheaper, and soda's certainly not as healthy."

The agriculture department has the authority to disapprove any label deemed false or misleading on milk and dairy products sold in the state.

The 16 companies notified by the department include: Crowley Foods Inc., of Binghamton, N.Y.; Garelick Farms NJ Division, of Burlington, N.J.; Farmland Dairies, of Wallington, N.J.; Mountainside Farms, of Jamaica, N.Y.; Upstate Farms Coop Inc., of Buffalo, N.Y.; Dean Northeast, of Franklin, Mass.; Wade's Dairy Inc., of Bridgeport, Conn.; G.A.F. Seelig Inc., of Woodside, N.Y.

Also, Schneider's Dairy Inc., Pittsburgh; Harrisburg Dairies Inc., Harrisburg; Rosenberger's Dairies, Hatfield; Rutter Bros. Dairy Inc., York; High View Inc., Cresson; Perrydell Farm Dairy, York; Hope Acres Dairy, Brogue; Cumberland Dairy Inc., Rosenhayn, N.J.

For more information on the department's food-labeling actions, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and click on "Food Labeling."

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