Milk is Milk Blog by Alex Avery

I came across a press release from a company touting its “Ultrapure” line of dairy products. Here’s a line from the release: “As more and more consumers reach for organic milk for its health benefits and to help combat the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones used on cows, increased demand has pushed prices of organic milk out of many consumers’ reach. For consumers who want ultra-pure milk without having to pay the ultra-premium price, a new option has emerged with Mountainside Farms UltraPure(TM) milk, an affiliate of Elmhurst Dairy, Inc., New York City’s largest milk supplier.”

Say no more. If Elmhurst is behind it, I am already suspicious that there will be misleading labeling involved. But I digress. The press release continues, “Mountainside Farms UltraPure(TM) milk represents an exciting new category that bridges the gap between conventional milk and organic milk.” (There is no gap - the milk is the same, no matter how it was produced.) “Combining environmentally friendly business practices with the use of innovative UltraPure(TM) technology in the processing stage, Mountainside Farms is able to produce purer, better tasting milk that is free of hormones and antibiotics, with improved shelf life.” (Free of hormones? Wow, that is a breakthrough! Wait - it is not possible for milk to be free of hormones and all milk naturally contains more than 25 hormones. And most, including those supplying organic and Elmhurst dairies, use health and reproductive hormone injections such as Prostaglandin and Oxytocin critical to dairy cow reproductive health practices. And improved shelf-life usually means that the milk has been boiled and boiled again.)

“Our customers have been telling us that they want access to many of the qualities that organic milk provides, but didn’t want to pay the $4 to $5 charge per half gallon.” (What qualities are those, as to date no health, safety or taste benefits have been found or proven.) “UltraPure(TM) gives them many of the same health benefits at a cost that’s closer to that of conventional milk,” said Cyrus Schwartz, president of Mountainside Farms and fifth generation member of the Schwartz family who founded Elmhurst.” (Ahem. To what health benefits do you refer? I have not been able to find ANY study or research that backs up this claim.) And if you needed any more misleading claims to turn your head, the release goes on “To ensure the freshest and purest milk, Mountainside Farms tests all of its milk for the presence of the six antibiotics most commonly used on dairy cows, surpassing the mandatory testing required by state and federal regulations by 20 percent.” This is just malarkey of the first degree. ALL milk is tested and retested for the presence of antibiotics. If there is even a TRACE of antibiotics, the milk is thrown out! There is not a dairy farmer in the world who can afford to WASTE his valuable commodity! I won’t repeat any more of their other claims regarding growth hormones and bacteria as I have heard enough.

I have a theory. I have not been able to validate this with anyone in the dairy industry (surprise surprise!) But I think I am on to something. Could this “exciting new category” be Organic Lite? A false niche market created on the backs of hardworking dairy farmers by taking away tools that allow them to get more from less - and without even paying them the so-called “premiums” that organic interests offer?

The facts about “organic lite” and similar black marketing have been made clear by research which shows:

• It damages the overall dairy market, driving a percentage of consumers away from milk altogether - we’ve seen a 14 percent decline in fluid milk consumption corresponding with the growth of these marketing tactics!
• It economically harms dairy producers, increasing their costs while driving down the price people pay for milk not using these false marketing claims
• It misleads consumers into paying more for products that are exactly the same (with the exception that they are often ultra-pasteurized for longer shelf life - read “older milk” as the higher priced milk doesn’t sell as quickly)

We will be watching to see if this press release entices any easily-duped reporters into writing about this. This is outrageous and it is time for action. From regulators, from law makers, and most importantly from the dairy industry itself. Because they know that Milk is Milk.

Milk is Milk Blog by Alex Avery

I found this great article on CalorieLab.com. Like MIM, it is in blog format and was developed “to provide dieters with quick and simple access to the information necessary to lose or maintain weight.” Written by Karen Collins, a registered dietician, the article states that the health claims producers of organic milk make are unfounded and conventional milk is just as healthy as organic milk. I think she says it so well, that I am just going to post her thoughts here and hope she does not mind. Bravo, Karen!

“Demand for organic milk, which can sell for up to double the cost of other milk, is booming. Deciding whether to spend the extra money is not as clear-cut a decision as some suggest. People may turn to organic milk for health benefits, or environmental and animal rights’ issues. When evaluating the health claims, thus far, research does not support a health advantage of organic over conventional milk for any segment of the population.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires four characteristics to define milk as organic, and confusion abounds about each.

Bovine growth hormone. Milk that is labeled “USDA Organic” must come from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) to increase milk production. People who focus on this goal express concern that hormones in milk could raise the risk of hormone-related cancers, or lead to higher levels of an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) linked with cancer.

However, BGH is a protein hormone, which means that if any does appear in milk, enzymes and acid in our digestive tract destroy it. Dale Bauman, a professor of animal science at Cornell University, emphasizes that if IGF-1 is slightly higher in milk from BGH-treated cows, it represents a tiny fraction of the IGF we all produce each day. Bauman reports that we would have to drink 95 quarts of milk to equal the IGF-1 we make daily in our saliva and other digestive tract secretions.

We need to differentiate between levels of IGF in our blood, which some studies link to a possible increase in cancer risk, and levels of IGF in our food. Several organic-related web sites refer to a study in which vegans (who eat no animal products) showed 13 percent lower IGF than non-vegans.

However, a closer look at that study shows that milk consumption was not related to blood levels of IGF. Research shows high blood levels of IGF are linked with overweight, lack of exercise, and diets too high in saturated fat, refined carbohydrates or total calories.

Antibiotics. A second characteristic of organic milk is that these cows are not treated with antibiotics. If a cow in an organic herd does need to be treated with antibiotics, she is not returned to the herd for a period of 12 months. Yet in conventional herds, milk from cows that receive antibiotics is not used until tests show it is antibiotic-free. Tanks of milk are routinely tested to ensure no antibiotic content.

Pesticides. A third requirement of organic milk is that cows’ feed is grown without pesticides, whether the feed is grass or grain. Recent USDA reports show that nonorganic milk may contain low levels of certain pesticides, but these are far below established tolerance levels. Using organic feed may support sustainable farming practices, yet research has not found it affects the nutritional value of the cows’ milk.

Access to pasture. The final requirement for organic milk is that cows must have “access to pasture.” Many consumers assume this means cows graze in fields most of the year. However, the current standard does not require a specific length of time in pasture. A cow can graze in pasture only a limited time and still produce milk that is certified organic.

On the question of grain- versus grass-fed cows, some suggest that pasture-fed cows may produce milk that contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a special type of fat that may protect against cancer and other health problems. But Michael Pariza, professor of food microbiology and toxicology at the University of Wisconsin, and a leading expert on CLA in dairy products, says grass feeding by itself does not assure increased CLA.

He and Bauman both note that cows fed mixed grains with soybeans or other additions can produce milk that has higher CLA levels than milk from grass-fed cows. This may lead you to spend less on milk and more on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and other healthful foods.

(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions about diet, nutrition, and cancer at the free AICR Hotline at 1 (800) 843-8114 during business hours.)

Of course, the Cornucopia Institute has already discounted Ms. Collins’ article. And why not? It means less profits for their sugar daddy Organic Valley. The good news is that even their friends are starting to suspect their motives. We will continue to do our part and keep asking the questions to which the answer is always Milk is Milk.