A2 vs. A2/A2 milk. Yea, we switched. Why? What's the difference?

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April 29, 2022

Over a year ago, Miller’s Bio Farm got a cease and desist letter from a company that will remain unnamed. It said that we needed to STOP using the term “A2 Milk”. Why? They have a trademark on the term and using the term constitutes “trademark infringement”.

We wrote a friendly letter back saying that “A2 milk” is a common term, and we shouldn’t have to stop using it. We also explained that the farmer is Amish and does not believe in using courts to resolve issues. We preferred to resolve the issue amicably.

A year of silence went by. Then, we received a second cease and desist letter saying the same thing - Miller’s Bio Farm needs to stop using the term “A2 Milk”.

At this point, farmer Aaron felt we needed to get an attorney involved, so we did.

The attorney wrote a letter arguing (in legalese) that Miller’s using the term “A2 Milk” is a fair use of a descriptive term. The reason we know this is because there are thousands of publications - scientific papers, blog posts, websites, books, etc - that all use the term “A2 Milk” to describe milk containing 100% beta-casein protein.

The unnamed company wrote us back (more quickly this time) but still did not agree. We had two options - take it to court or switch our terminology. For obvious reasons, we chose the latter.

So… from this point forward, we will use the term “A2/A2” to describe our cow dairy (A2/A2 Milk, A2/A2 Yogurt, A2/A2 Butter, etc). To be extra clear, nothing is changing except the product names.

All of our cows will still be genetically tested to verify that they produce milk with 100% A2 beta-casein protein. The ingredients on our dairy products will still note “A2/A2 milk”. We are simply switching the terminology.

In case you’re new to A2/A2 dairy, you can learn more about what A2/A2 milk is and why it might be better for your body here.

And, maybe this is a good thing…

The genetic test results we get for our cows says whether the milk produced is A1/A1, A1/A2, or A2/A2. So it is more scientifically accurate to say “A2/A2 Dairy”.

A1/A1 means that the cow produces milk with 100% A1 beta-casein protein.

A1/A2 means that the cow produces milk with a mix of A1 and A2 beta-casein protein.

A2/A2 means that the cow products milk with 100% A2 beta-casein protein.

What do you think? Do you care if your dairy is labeled “A2” or “A2/A2”? How do situations like this make you feel?

I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required) or contact us.

100% A2/A2 Cow

Health and Nutrition

Farming Practices

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

A2 vs. A2/A2 milk. Yea, we switched. Why? What's the difference?

Over a year ago, Miller’s Bio Farm got a cease and desist letter from a company that will remain unnamed. It said that we needed to STOP using the term “A2 Milk”. Why? They have a trademark on the term and using the term constitutes “trademark infringement”.

So… from this point forward, we will use the term “A2/A2” to describe our cow dairy (A2/A2 Milk, A2/A2 Yogurt, A2/A2 Butter, etc). To be extra clear, nothing is changing except the product names.

The genetic test results we get for our cows says whether the milk produced is A1/A1, A1/A2, or A2/A2. So it is more scientifically accurate to say “A2/A2 Dairy”.

What do you think? Do you care if your dairy is labeled “A2” or “A2/A2”? How do situations like this make you feel?

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Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566