Organic Milk – A Simple Guide to a Dirty Little Secret

Seems easy enough, right? You go to the grocery store, need some organic milk…it’s on the list. So you see the USDA Certified Organic seal on the package, find the right fat level (skim, 2 percent, whole milk etc.), throw it in the cart and away you go.

You feel good about that purchase. Did the right thing. Bought the good milk without the poison.

Right?

Well, sort of.

The last thing we really ever wanted to do is to educate consumers about a CAVIAT in their organic purchase. Unfortunately, that’s where we are at the moment.

There are “bad” organic milks and “good” organic milks out there. True story.

We were hoping, back in the day (1998 or so) that once the standards were the same for all farmers, the level playing field would go a long way in ensuring that everyone was working with the same rule book.

Oh, were we wrong.

Yes, it does require some additional work on your part, but once you find the brand that really stacks up to some tough scrutiny, you’ll be able to buy again and again with no worries.

Here’s what you need to look for, and questions you need to ask about your brand of organic milk:

1. Is it local? You can determine that but reading the plant code on the package. Typically the plant code is listed with a two-digit code, then a dash, then a four digit code (ie 36-3333). The first two digits, in this case 36, indicate the U.S. state where the milk was manufactured (New York). This is important because if you live in California and the milk came from Maine, it had to travel a VERY long way on tractor trailers to get to you. In doing so, it burned up lots of carbon on your footprint. In addition, if you’re trying to support the local ag economy in your area, buying milk from farmers 3000 miles away isn’t really helping too much.

A full list of plant/state dairy codes can be found here:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/MilkSafety/FederalStatePrograms/InterstateMilkShippersList/default.htm#nucs

I live in Upstate NY, and I frequently check the dairy code numbers on products. Many organic products touting the “local” claim are actually made in California, Colorado and Wisconsin. Not exactly local.

You’ll find this especially true if you are buying the store brand “private label” milks from large grocery chains like Target, Safeway, Kroger, and many others. Many of these chains purchase cheap “organic” milk from large CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) out West. Do they know they are doing this? Sure they do, but they think that you, their loyal customer, are seeking value for your dollar in these tough economic times. And sure, we all are.

But not for the cost of our integrity.

How is this all possible? Great question.

We are working to change the organic standards at the moment, but for the past several years some large operators have found and taken advantage of a loophole in the federal organic standards. Instead of pasturing their animals in seasonally appropriate times (Spring Summer and Fall here in the Northeast) many of these large “dairies” out West are nothing but large volume dirt feed lots, where tens of thousands of dairy cows are, indeed, fed organic grain, but are not offered the expected comforts and lifestyle one would assume these cows are getting to be considered organic. Most of us conjure up an idyllic image of a small family farm with Ma and Pa and their two young kids caring for their animals in beautiful green pastures.

Not so much. Imagine instead thousands of cows, standing ankle deep in their own feces and mud, waiting to be milked over and over and over again……you get the picture.

We are working with the government to quickly close this loophole, but it in the meantime the only thing between your hard earned dollar and a corporate feed lot is your vigilance. The grocery store knows they are buying cheap milk from corporate farms, but they won’t tell you that. Not even if you ask.

The other thing you can do is check with the Cornucopia Institute’s Organic Scorecard, where they rate the various brands and let you know how the milk really is made and by whom. They have a 5-star rating system, 5 being the highest and one star being the lowest. Nearly all the brands are listed, so this is very helpful.

You can find that chart here:

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html

Bug your grocer. Ask them about their private label “organic” milk. Where is it made? By whom? If they don’t know, jot down the plant codes and check out the list. If you live in the Northeast and this stuff is being made out West, think about buying another brand.

If you’re still confused, send me an email and I’ll help you through it.

Your small family organic farmer thanks you.

dean@getnymilk.com