| Farm Name | Stonyfield (milk) HOOD | |
| Rating |
(3)
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| Location | Boston, MA | |
| Products | Fluid milk products | |
| Market Area | Eastern half US | |
| Web Site | http://www.hphood.com | |
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Although the Stonyfield name and logo appear on the carton, this milk is actually produced and marketed by HP Hood. With revenues of approximately $5 billion, they are one of the largest dairy processors in the United States. As with many other food and consumer items, Stonyfield has licensed their name, and the extent of their direct involvement, if any, in production is unknown. Hood has made a commitment to procure only milk produced on family-scale dairy farms for their Stonyfield brand fluid milk products. In order to grow their business, they have aggressively sought to purchase milk from many different sources, in addition to farmers who deliver milk directly to the dairy. Because they buy milk from many different middlemen, and the fact that they rely on a third-party to handle milk from farmers who directly ship to them, they have a less intimate relationship with their farms and in the enforcement of some of their policies. They are now working hard, investing in training for their third-party milk procurement agency and in getting farmers to sign agreements upholding standards that are higher than what the USDA is currently enforcing. When this process is complete, we will look forward to reevaluating their rating. We wish them well in their efforts. |
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| Criteria | Points | Comments |
| Ownership Structure | 60 | Bottled/controlled = Hood |
| Milk Supply | 60 | Own+many different sources |
| Disclosure of Information for Verification | 90 | Partial disclosure |
| Certifier farms | 80 | Various |
| Certifier processing | 75 | QAI |
| Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 80 | Very strong policy-weak enforcement/reporting |
| Health and longevity of cows | 0 | No information |
| Replacement animals only from organic farms | 50 | Certifier allows purchase of commercial cattle |
| Antibiotics used on young cattle | 100 | Never |
| Reproductive hormones used | 75 | Good policies/lax enforcement |
| Farm support oversight | 75 | Utilize an outside firm to conduct inspections |
| Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
| TOTAL SCORE | 845 |
THREE COWS (very good)
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