Organic Milk Comparisons
GlitterGirl went from formula to enriched Rice Milk and I was happy with that. I’m not comfortable with all of the hormones used in modern dairy production, and wanted to keep away from that if at all possible.
But TwinkleToes was two years old, and malnourished, when we brought her home. We continued with formula in bottles, and we had drops that we had to put into the formula, but we were also supposed to use whole milk in her formula instead of water, and we were instructed to give her whole milk at meals. That meant I had to find cow’s milk that I felt comfortable with.
I did some research and discovered that some of the organic farms have managed to be legally organic, without actually being organic. Imagine two farms side by side, owned by the same company. One organic, the other not. And they sell cows back and forth. So the organic farm can say they never give hormones or antibiotics to their cows, but they can omit the fact that their cows go next door for those things.
I was talking to someone about this, (I have no idea who at this point) and they pointed me to this page:
http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html
So I made a list of all of the four and five cow farms and took it with me to the grocery store. One of the stores I shop at had one of the four cow rated milks, and another had a five cow rated milk. Both also had a couple of zero rated brands, which I of course avoided.
Fast forward to the present time, and something told me to go look again. One of the milks we’ve been buying has been downgraded a great deal, so it looks like it is time for me to make another list and take it with me when I shop.
TwinkleToes is still on whole milk, and I have no idea when her doctor is going to say we can move her to milk with less fat. She’s still tiny, wearing 2T sized clothes at four years old. And she loves milk, she goes through a half gallon every five or six days. It is important to me to make that milk as healthy as I can for her.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:01 am
Interesting list…Our dairy is not on the list. They dont claim to be organic though but they do claim to be hormone free. The milk is delivered once a week in glass bottles and boy is it yummy:) The difference in taste is supposed to be in how it is pasturized and the fact that the cow was milked only a day or two before it is delivered.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:02 am
Here’s an interesting link about milk: http://realmilk.com/why.html
I found a farm here near my house and we’ve been drinking raw milk for over a year now. I know exactly where my milk comes from, I know what my cow eats, what meds she takes, I even know her name. (It’s Rissy, and she’s a sweet Jersey.)
I brought some kids I was babysitting to the farm and they were so confused. “Why do you get your milk from a COW????!!!!” Too cute.
just my 2 cents.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:50 am
Oh great…the milk I usually buy got a 0 cow. Well at least the second brand I usually buy got a 4 and the 3rd brand got a 3.
Thanks RQ!
August 31st, 2009 at 10:52 am
Thanks for this list! I too had been concerned about the hormones in the milk my kids drink so went organic. I had no idea about the switching farms. Turns out I’ve been buying 1 cow brands. I’ll be printing this list and taking it with me to the grocery store next trip! You are the best resource!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:08 am
Thanks for sharing this info. This rating information is wonderful… but I’m sad to see that my effort (and money) is being wasted. I’ve been suckered by Horizons! Ouch.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:13 am
Thanks for posting. I had heard that Horizons was not on the up and up, and this seems to confirm that. Whole Foods milk seems to be good, but I am trying to stay away from Whole Foods these days. So I guess I will have to find out where Trader Joe’s gets its milk…
August 31st, 2009 at 11:24 am
Y’all remember that the private brands got a 0 cow in part because they declined to participate. While not ideal this still doesn’t mean that they’re ‘bad’ so to speak.
Unfortunately the options we have available locally and conveniently are on the 1 and 0 cow list so Horizon or Trader Joe’s is about it for us. That said, I still figure it’s better than buying non-organic milk.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
If all you’re really concerned about is the hormones, you don’t need “organic”. Look for a dairy delivery in your area. We use Oberweiss. They deliver in glass bottles, and it is delicious. I had to change my daughter over to skim because as soon as we started this milk, she packed on the pounds! You will also be supporting a local farmer, and recycling! My daughter refuses to even drink the “organic” brands from the store, she will tell you that she wants the “good glass milk”. The difference in flavor will amaze you!
August 31st, 2009 at 1:17 pm
After looking at the list, all I can say is that I will be so very glad when the local under-construction Wegmans is finally built.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
It is interesting that this subject comes up today. I was talking to my friends last week about how my 10 year old girl looks so mature. We go through a great deal of milk and I know it has had an effect on my children. I then talked to my inlaws about us sharing a milk cow. All I ever get is negative about how much work it is. Anyone have something positive? I’ll take negative too, of course.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I don’t necessarily agree with the list that was provided. I mean it shows Horizon Organic as “unethical” because they chose to not participate in the survey? Horizon is a pretty good brand. We purchase their products at Sprouts which is a really nice Organic Grocery Store.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:24 pm
TongguMomma:
OMG! You know about Wegmans! I miss Wegmans so much! I used to live in Rochester, N.Y. and have since moved several times and am so disappointed to have to leave Wegmans. They are the best supermarket ever. Even after having moved to 2 different states, I still occassionally run into WNY transplants who lament having to leave Wegmans behind. Who would ever have thought that a supermarket chain would inspire so much love and loyalty!
August 31st, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Glad to see this info so I can make better choices at the store. This is very timely too – DH just got Omnivores Dilemma as a book on tape from the library to listen to as he will do a lot of driving this week. We listened to about 90 minutes yesterday on our drive….very interesting stuff!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
InHisTime (and anyone else looking for a local dairy) – the website I listed can tell you where to find a dairy near you. We own a “share” of the cow, so we can have her milk. (The farmer does all the hard work.) The laws vary from state to state but this website can direct you to where you need to go: http://www.realmilk.com. It tastes incredible like Lizzie said. We even make our own ice cream with the cream that rises to the top.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I decided a few days ago to move to organic milk, and it looks like the only lactose-free varieties are 0 or 1 cow brands. Has anyone seen lactose-free milk from one of the 4 or 5 cow farms? Many thanks!
August 31st, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Great. I can get three types of organic milk here, Full Circle, Horizon, or Archer Farms. All one or zero cows. We usually buy Full Circle because it’s the most convenient and least expensive. At least one cow is better than nothing.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:40 pm
HoosierBaby – I’m in Hoosier land as well. Trader’s Point milk is awesome and is available at both Whole Foods and Fresh Market. Their liquid yogurt is amazing! If you are in the metro Indy area, you can actually visit the farm and on the weekends they serve an organic meal (Friday nights in the summertime and Saturday mornings in the winter). Google them and check out their website.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:34 am
This was in the news in 2006: Vegans are far less likely to have twins. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/43774.php. They aren’t getting the growth hormones given to conventionally-raised cows and passed into their milk & milk products.
September 1st, 2009 at 7:59 am
I am guessing but suspect that the process involved with removing lactose is incompatible with the organic label as it is generally understood?
Aberdeen Says:
August 31st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I decided a few days ago to move to organic milk, and it looks like the only lactose-free varieties are 0 or 1 cow brands. Has anyone seen lactose-free milk from one of the 4 or 5 cow farms? Many thanks!
September 1st, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Thanks, javairo. Unfortunately, I’m about three hours away from the Indy area. We don’t have Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or a Fresh Market within a two+ hour drive. I’m limited to major chains or a local family-owned grocery chain.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Aberdeen, Organic Valley has lactose-free milk.
September 1st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
According to our doctor, growing children should drink milk with at least 1,5 % fat, because it is a fat that the brains need for growing. I would not be worring about when to move to milk with less fat than that.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Thank you so much for this list!!! We use Organic Valley which I was glad to see at least has 4 cows. But this is definitely great information to be armed with!
September 7th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
thanks for the reference/web site. turns out the less expensive organic milk I order from Freshdirect (online delivery grocery for ny metro area) is a 4 cow milk. (Amish Farms).
September 11th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
We haven’t had milk or meat since 2006. My daughter has grown almost three inches in the last year. Regardless of whether cow’s milk is organic, or not, cow’s milk is for baby cows. Humans are the only animals that drink milk, and milk from another species, past the age of weaning. For more information on this topic, please refer to T. Colin Campbell’s “The China Study” and also, here’s a good link to start with:
http://www.notmilk.com.