Experts have weighed in on accusations that milk sold in Britain’s major supermarkets will soon be contaminated with an additive that’s supposedly linked to a host of health issues, including cancer.
Shoppers threatened to boycott dairy products like milk and butter made by Danish firm Arla and sold in Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl, after the company announced a trial that would involve giving a feed additive called Bovaer to its cows.
The chemical, which would be introduced to cattle’s food, is designed to reduce the amount of methane they produce in digestion, a gas that contributes to climate change.
However, social media is awash with claims the additive can cause fertility issues and cancer.
Scores of Brits have taken to TikTok to share clips of themselves pouring the dairy products down the toilet, and throwing them in the bin.
Reform MP for Great Yarmouth and multi-millionaire businessman Rupert Lowe jumped on the bandwagon this afternoon too, tweeting that he ‘won’t be consuming anything containing Bovaer’.
But multiple regulators, both in Britain and the EU, insist the additive is safe and doesn’t actually transfer to the milk.
So, what’s the truth?
TikTokers have claimed that the additive ‘could be’ carcinogenic, but experts say this is not the case.
TikTokers have shared videos demonstrating their boycott, by throwing food products in the bin
Speaking to MailOnline, experts have assured customers there’s likely nothing to worry about.
‘Additives used in farming must undergo rigorous testing by food safety authorities both in the UK and in Europe in order to be permitted for use,’ said Professor Gunter Kuhnle, nutrition expert at the University of Reading.
‘If something is in use by a major brand you can generally trust that it is perfectly safe for consumption.’
Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist said if Bovaer has been approved by UK and European regulators it was ‘safe to assume’ that milk from cattle fed the product would be fine to consume.
‘They’re not going to allow something to be used if it’s not passed safety standards,’ he said.
Bovaer is compound made of silicon dioxide, propylene glycol and organic compound 3-nitrooxypropanol which is known as 3-nitrooxypropanol or shortened to 3-NOP.
Concerns being spread online about the additive are mostly referencing documents from regulators about handling the substance at an industrial scale.
One man filmed himself with Arla products and told his followers they would be ‘going straight down the drain’.
One from the Federal Drug Administration in the US (FDA) reads the product is not for human use.
It adds: ‘Caution should be exercised when handling this product. 3-nitrooxypropanol may damage male fertility and reproductive organs, is potentially harmful when inhaled, and is a skin and eye irritant.’
It goes to advise that those handling it should wear protective gear such as that covering the eyes, and mouth and gloves.
Claims it causes cancer centre on safety studies that were performed on rats that were assessed by the UK regulator the Food Standards Agency.
This details results of studies giving the rodents a high dose of the product suggested it increased the risk of cancer in female rates.
However, a follow-up analysis found the rates of the disease were not statistically higher than the control group.
In conclusion the FSA ruled: ‘Due to the absence of malignant tumours and genotoxicity, it was concluded that the additive is not carcinogenic at the recommended inclusion rate.’
Claims that the product is linked to Bill Gates appear to be a confusion with the Microsoft co-founder investing millions in Rumin 8, a separate company developing similar methane-reducing supplements in early 2023.
Reform MP for Great Yarmouth, Rupert Lowe, waded in on the debate this afternoon, committing to the boycott of the products.
Conspiracy theorists have wrongly linked the two firms without evidence.
This appears to have led to a widespread distrust in the ingredient, with social media users cherry picking information that appears to link Bovaer to health problems.
Arla has fired back at what it labelled as ‘completely false’ ‘misinformation’ around the additive on social media – particularly confusion between Bovaer and the Rumin 8 company that had benefited from Gates’ investment.
Responding to the social media storm, an Arla spokesperson said: ‘the information spreading online surrounding our link to Bill Gates is completely false and claims relating to his involvement in our products is inaccurate’.
Bovaer manufacturer, Dsm-firmenich also warned the trials had led to ‘mistruths and misinformation’ about the feed.
In a statement they assured the public that ‘provided it is used as recommended’, Bovaer ‘never enters into milk and therefore does not reach consumers’.
The supplement is also ‘specifically designed to break down in the cow’s digestive system and quickly decomposes into naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen of a cow’, the Dutch Swiss multinational added.
In one TikTok video seen over 207,000 times, one man points to his bottle of Asda semi-skimmed milk which displays the label ‘sourced from Arla farms’.
He adds: ‘This will be going straight down the drain and I won’t be buying Asda milk again.’
Another sees one woman empty her bottle of Arla into the toilet, before flushing it.
‘That’s as close to us as it’s getting,’ she says. ‘Local milk for us from now on.’
In another TikTok video, one user with over 4,000 followers, pours her bottle down the sink, adding ‘adios Arla’.
Commenting on the safety of the product specifically the Arla spokesperson said: ‘The health and safety of both consumers and animals ‘is always our number one priority’, they added.
‘Bovaer has already been extensively and safely used across Europe and at no point during the trial will there be any impact on the milk we produce as it does not pass from the cow into the milk.
‘Regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and UK Food Standards Agency, have approved its use based on evidence that it does not harm the animals or negatively impact their health, productivity, or the quality of milk.’
