Response from Strafford Organic Creamery about my findings of Lead paint on their bottles

For those new to this website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).

Below is the lovely response I got from Strafford Organic Creamery today (lovely except for the information they received from StanPac — the bottle manufacturer — that they are knowingly using Lead in their paint!).

Here’s a link to my original article.
Their response is below.

Dear Tamara,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I have reached out to Stanpac and had an illuminating conversation with the head of their printing department. He confirmed that there is lead present in the paint on our bottles, added for color saturation and durability. Stanpac has conducted their own lead testing and he is sending me those results. They are also sending me a sample of lead-free paints that they could use on our future bottle orders.

I also spoke with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, which regularly tests our milk and bottles for bacteria. The state lab has agreed to do tests on our bottles to determine the level of lead that might be inside the bottle through our washing process (they had just picked up bottles to sample this morning) and will also see if any lead leeches out from the exterior.

I’m glad for the information and am following up in all the ways I can think of. While I don’t like the idea of lead on our milk bottles, I am curious to know if the lead is becoming environmentally active. We have some bottles that have been in rotation since 2001 that show almost no wear, which makes me think that the paint, and the lead in it, might be staying put. Although I naturally hope this is the case and that the lead paint isn’t harmful, what I most want is the truth. I’m approaching this with deep concern for the health of the families who drink our milk, as well as my own.

I’ve attached an image of a bottle from our original order, in 2001. (We can tell from the old-style ridges.)

Thank you again for all your efforts to keep children safe.

All the best,

Amy

Strafford Organic Creamery

RockBottom Farm

Strafford, VT 05072

As I am needing to rest for my post-surgical evaluation tomorrow, I will be sharing more about this later. I do just want to say that it is wonderful when companies respond in this way! This is the RIGHT way to respond!

Here is the photo of the milk bottle she sent me. As with all of the Lead painted food-use glass items shared here on this website, I do have concern for wear in the paint. I annotated the image with arrows and sent her a few responses with my concerns. Here’s the link to an article with my responses to Amy’s e-mail.

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3 Comments

Jayne says:

January 12, 2021 at 7:04 pm

I’ll be interested to learn what Smiling Hill Farms response is to the lead in their glass bottles. We have been patrons of Smiling Hill for many years.

Thank you for bringing this news out into the open.

kalle says:

January 14, 2021 at 10:39 am

Hi Tamara,

I think you are doing an amazing public health service for everyone here, kudos to you firstly.
Second, I sure hope their bottle manufacturer offers to switch to the lead free paint and not do something “tricky” like try to up charge them too much for it. I love Vermont Organic dairy and small family businesses like these, and really appreciated seeing their genuine, heartfelt and sincere response. Hope it all works out!
Fr. A Tourist who loves Vermont.

Sabrina says:

January 15, 2021 at 12:07 pm

What an incredibly gratifying and noble response to a situation that is no doubt terrifying as a business owner. I applaud Strafford for being so responsible!!!