Got organic milk?

It may not be as eco as you think

Posted by Sarah K. Burkhalter at 4:06 PM on 22 Mar 2006

Read more about: food | agriculture | organic food

The Cornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog organization, has released a report (PDF) on the "organic-ness" of 68 dairy name brands and private labels. While cow-conscious consumers might assume that the word "organic" on the label means that their milk mustache comes from a happy cow grazing in non-pesticide-laden pastures, that's not always the case; guidelines for organic certification can be variously interpreted, and the USDA is lax on enforcing regulations. Says the Cornucopia press release:

[The report] profiles the growth and commercialization of organic dairying and looks at the handful of firms that now seem intent upon taking over the organic dairy industry by producing all or some of their milk on 2000- to 6000-cow industrial-style confinement dairies.

The report finds that while the majority of name-brand organic producers do hold to high legal and ethical standards, 20 percent garnered a "one-cow" substandard rating (out of a possible five).

A booming, lucrative $15 billion market for organic food and a severe national shortage of organic milk are two factors that industry observers mention as driving the "get organic milk from any source" philosophy.

The top companies -- Aurora Organic Dairy and Dean Foods, which owns Horizon Organic, Organic Cow of Vermont and Alta Dena -- did not respond to the survey that Cornucopia sent out, for which they received a score of no cows. The two producers control 60-70 percent of the organic dairy market.

Read a New York Times article on the report or search for your favorite organic dairy provider on this alphabetical list.

For story: Got organic milk?
4 Comments | Post a Comment

How now, organic cow

According to this article, Chicago-area grocery stores see about a 20 percent jump in demand for organic milk every year. In fact, jugs of organic milk are moo-ving off the shelves so fast these days that if you call ahead, workers offer to put the milk on hold for you. Says one Trader Joe's staffer, "Call first thing in the morning. We sell out in about an hour."

Are YOU on The List?

by Sarah van Schagen at 9:45 AM on 23 Mar 2006

choices

Hmmm, if my choice is no milk, industrial milk, or "organic" milk that I can't trust to be organic, that's not much of a choice, is it?

I'm glad that I have a local source of milk. It may not be organic, but I know how they raise their cows. Maybe one day they'll be able to go organic if they get enough support from consumers who appreciate their efforts.

by LaurieO at 12:22 PM on 23 Mar 2006

another choice

You don't have to drink milk at all. That's a valid choice, and a healthy one. We've been brainwashed to think that everybody needs milk. We don't.

by lavonne at 5:21 PM on 23 Mar 2006

Organic milk

I was also told that milk is the most common food allergen. So it is a very good idea to avoid it.

by Canaryalice at 11:42 PM on 23 Mar 2006
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