I started drinking organic milk years ago, after I saw “The Corporation”. It showed how regular dairies keeps cows in a constant state of infection to produce more milk, and how much pus there was in the milk. Yuck!
According to an important new study, organic milk sold in England delivers significantly higher levels of healthy fatty acids than does conventional milk. The study, funded by the European Union and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Dairy Science, can be accessed for free here.
The researchers compared fat composition and protein content of 10 organic and 12 conventional brands found on supermarket shelves in northeast England. Researchers found that the organic milk had only slightly higher overall fat content, but much higher levels of what it calls “beneficial fatty acids.”
The differences are significant in public-health terms. In America and Great Britain alike, people on average don’t get enough essential fatty acids. For example, one of the fatty acids in question, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), has been shown to lower heart disease and cancer risks, the researchers say. The meat and milk of ruminant animals are “almost our exclusive source of dietary CLA,” the researchers support — and organic milk has significantly more of it. By switching to organic milk, the U.K. public could increase its average CLA intake by as much as 40 percent, the authors reckon.
You’ve just given me another way to feel good about the *organic* half-and-half I put in my occasional morning coffee. Mine comes from a locally (w/i 100 miles) owned organic dairy that supplies a local grocery. Each week, I return the little glass bottle (initial 1.50 deposit) and pick up a new one. Thank you!
Organic milk also tastes better (to me, anyway) and lasts longer in my fridge. Win-win!