New Choices In The Dairy Aisle

Categorized: Organic Milk | No comments

As I walk down the dairy aisle, I notice the varied milk products readily available for my family to enjoy.  Whole milk, skim milk, chocolate milk, soymilk, even organic milk.  With so many varied products to choose from it’s easy for me to quickly grab the familiar 2 % and leave the isle without another thought.  However, my curiosity has now gotten the best of me, and I would like to share the differences of choices we have in the dairy isle.

Dairy farmers have striven to make environments that help them produce high quality milk, ultimately heightening their profits.  All dairy farmers maintain proper animal care and best practices on their farms ensuring healthy cows that produce quality milk.  All farmers provide adequate housing for their animals, proper nutrition, and good medical care.

In recent years, organic farming has become popular in the US.  However, do we really know what organic means?  According to the National Dairy Council, “organic” refers to how the farm is managed, not to the products itself.  Both organic and conventional dairy products must meet government standards ensuring the milk is wholesome, safe, and nutritious.

Organic farmers also abide by the requirements set forth by the USDA’s National Organic Program.  Dairy products can only contain the “USDA Organic” label if these additional requirements are met.  These requirements state:

  1. Organic fertilizers and pesticides are used on the farm, not rbST.
  2. Organic milk must come from cows not treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH).  The BGH is used to increase milk production.
  3. Organic milk must come from cows not treated with antibiotics.  If the cow falls ill and must be treated with antibiotics, they are not to be returned to the herd for a period of 12 months.
  4. The cows must have access to pasture.

Soy milk is another alternative to conventional milk.  It’s one that has also come into light especially in the last few years.  Soy milk, hence the name, is made from soybeans and is nutritionally close to cow’s milk.  Many of the soy products are enriched with calcium and have little saturated fat and no cholesterol.  Soymilk is a good alternative to milk for those who are lactose intolerant.

Conventional milk is held to the same standards set by the USDA to ensure quality milk that is antibiotic free, wholesome, and safe.  Conventional dairy farmers have been known to boost their cows milk production by supplementing their cows’ bST, however, extensive studies have shown that this hormone only ensures higher production, the milk that is produced is as wholesome and safe as organic milk.  Lastly, according to the National Dairy Council, pesticides in conventionally produced milk are not of a concern because pesticides can be found in low amounts in all products, organic and conventional.  Extensive tests are done on all milk products to ensure us that we are not consuming dangerous levels of anything harmful.

Now that we’ve gone over the differences in the products we have to choose from in the dairy aisle, we must now decide which one is the best product for our family.

First we must look at the price, to which you will see an increase in organic and soy products.  This is possibly because these products have higher production costs ultimately passing on the cost to their consumers.

Secondly, we must decide what is important to us individually.  Some individuals choose organic products merely because of how the animals are raised.

Some choose organic products or soy products due to safety and nutrition facts, which you will not find in this article, because no viable facts have proved that organic or soy products are more nutritious or safe than conventional milk.

Some individuals choose their dairy products based on their personal taste likes and dislikes.  All milks can have a different flavor depending on the type of cow the milk was produced from, the season, variations of the cows diet, even the brand of milk conventional, organic, or soy have different tastes.

So now that we’ve found that products do vary in taste and price, but do not vary in quality, nutrition, or safety, which will you choose for your family?


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