Brown Cow Whole Milk Yogurt Goes Non-GMO Project

It would seem obvious that milk is not a GMO, nor are cows, and therefore pointless for a yogurt company to be "Non-GMO Project Verified", but the pro-GMO market has shown that they are going to buy goods despite a claim on a label and the anti-GMO market...well, it's unclear. General Mills declared Cheerios non-GMO and cereal sales still went down. ConAgra got rid of BPA in cans and people who bought into the myth of endocrine disuptors didn't suddenly buy Chef Boyardee. They had to lay off over 1,000 people later the same year. Yet companies continue to pay for this certification.

So this marketing move by Brown Cow Farm can't hurt. The cost to get Non-GMO Project Verified is trivial and it's just paperwork, which means there is an upside for a flagging brand that is owned by a parent company up for sale. They already get some of their milk in Vermont, which claims to be non-GMO, except it's impossible to know if the feed for the cows has no GMOs - like the others, it's just another group filling out paperwork and paying some money, USDA does not conduct surprise spot testing of groups who claim to use the organic process, which has been a source of concern as the organic food market has ballooned past the $100 billion range. Organic food lobbyists have successfully held off attempts at more government oversight

Like parent company Stonyfield Farms, they don't disclose how much of their organic milk is actually evaporated milk shipped in from other locations or overseas.

"The higher premium we pay provides family farms the opportunity to remain competitive," said Vice President of Sourcing and Sustainability, Rolf Carlson. Of course, customers are actually paying the premium. The company is hoping this move will cause them to pay even more.