What Stream B asks
For beef cattle, does the listing disclose whether the animals received growth-promoting implants? For dairy, does it disclose rBST status? Hormones are federally prohibited in poultry and pork, so the question is non-applicable for those species.
What you’ll usually find in a directory listing
“No hormones” claims are common on beef directory listings; “no added hormones” on poultry and pork listings is the legal baseline (federally prohibited under FDA rules) and is more accurately described as a non-claim. Stream B flags poultry and pork listings that promote “no added hormones” as if it were a differentiator. For dairy, rBST-free claims are common but require the FDA’s required disclosure that “no significant difference has been shown” between milk from rBST-treated and untreated cows.
This is one of the most consumer-confusing categories. Stream B scores it accurately so consumers can tell the difference between a meaningful disclosure (beef hormone-implant status, dairy rBST status) and a marketing flourish that points to the legal floor.
Three-step spine for Hormones on a directory listing
Required basics — what the directory itself surfaces. Beef and dairy producers often state their hormone policy in their profile narrative. Few directories enforce a structured field. Poultry and pork listings sometimes claim “no hormones” — a regulator-prohibited use repackaged as a marketing claim.
Verified programs — what a third-party seal proves. USDA Organic prohibits growth-promoting hormones across all species. American Grassfed Association prohibits implants on certified beef. USDA Process Verified Programs review “no hormones administered” beef-label claims. Animal Welfare Approved prohibits growth-promoting hormones. A producer enrolled in any of these and verifiable in the certifier’s roster lifts Hormones to Known · third-party-certified.
Unverified marketing — what the producer says about themselves. A beef producer’s “no hormones” claim without an enrolled program sits at Partial. A poultry or pork producer’s “no hormones” claim is N/A in the Stream B rubric — Stream B records the non-claim and notes that hormones are federally prohibited for the species. A dairy producer’s “rBST-free” claim without the FDA-required disclosure sits at Partial, and Stream B records the missing disclosure.
Stream A vs. Stream B for this category
A retail-label “no hormones” claim on beef is required to be USDA-reviewed. A retail-label “no hormones” claim on poultry or pork is required to be accompanied by the disclosure “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry [or pork]” — that disclosure is what makes the claim accurate and not misleading. A directory listing has no such requirement; the disclosure is rarely present.
A typical Stream A score on Hormones is Known · regulator-confirmed for beef from a USDA-PVP producer. A typical Stream B score on Hormones for the same beef producer, on their directory profile, is Partial unless they advertise the PVP enrollment in the profile itself.
Read the corresponding Stream A LEARN page on Hormones →
Verification ceiling callout
Stream B can score Hormones up to: Third-party-certified, when USDA Organic, AGA, AWA, or USDA PVP is verified in the certifier’s public roster. Otherwise: Producer-attested for beef and dairy; N/A for poultry and pork.
See the Stream B methodology for the full rubric and the four verification-ceiling tiers.
Sources
- 21 CFR Part 522 — FDA rules on approved hormonal implants for cattle.
- 9 CFR Part 412 — FSIS rules on “no hormones administered” beef-label claims and the required disclosure on poultry and pork.
- FDA — recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) labeling guidance for milk and dairy products.
- 7 CFR Part 205 — USDA National Organic Program, which prohibits hormone use across species.
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service — Process Verified Program directory.
Last reviewed: May 2026