The company said in its complaint that ads and labels including hormone-free production claims mislead consumers into believing that hormone-free dairy products are healthier and safer.While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved rBST in 1993, and finds no health risk, other governing agencies and associations disagree.”Monsanto and the FDA claim that there is no scientific basis for rBST- and rBGH [recombinant bovine growth hormone]-free dairy being safer or healthier,” said Charles Margulis, spokesman from the Center for Food Safety in San Francisco…. Organic dairy is regulated by the USDA and already prohibited from using any hormones in the cows or feed, as well as pesticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers, and therefore any production claims by organic dairy farmers would fall outside the scope of Monsanto’s complaint.But for mainstream producers and packagers who choose to use the hormone-free production claim on their dairy, the FTC ruling can be seen as a small triumph.”The agency rejected Monsanto’s complaint, and that’s a victory for consumers who demand to know what is in their milk,” said Margulis.