Ben & Jerry's compromised with the state of Illinois after the company attempted to label its ice cream products as being free of milk from cows treated with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), a process that increases milk production. The state protested that there is no way to distinguish between milk from cows that are treated with the hormone and those that are not, making the company's claim unverifiable and its implication of harmful effects misleading. The agreed upon label reads as follows:

We oppose recombinant bovine growth hormone. The family farmers who supply our milk and cream pledge not to treat their cows with rBGH. The FDA has said no significant difference has been shown and no test can distinguish between milk from rBGH treated and untreated cows.

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