Cow's milk - organic or regular?

[Cujobunny]

Just wondering, for Canadians, if you drink cow's milk, do you drink only organic and why? Do you think regular milk is ok and why? Any links would be appreciated too :)

[Malva]

I drink regular milk because I found a local dairy that delivers it to my house in glass bottles.

If I were buying it at the store I'd buy organic milk.

I believe that in the US, regular milk contains bovine growth hormones so it's really important to drink organic milk there. Hormones are banned in Canada but I think US milk is allowed to be sold here so you still want to be sure your milk is not from the states.

[sanguine_speed]

We don't drink milk, but we do buy organic dairy products like yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, cheese...for the assurances about the treatment and living conditions of the animals.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

The regulations for dairy is different here than in the us. I used to have a link but I can't find it now. There are no hormones or antibiotics in Canadian milk. hormones are banned and antibiotics are only used if a cow is sick and then her milk is dumped until the medication is out of her system. Dairy herds are also much smaller here than in the us which I feel leads to better quality of life for the animals. I've visited my local dairy, where most of the milk in my town comes from and I know that the cows are mostly pasture fed and are treated humanly. So I'm comfortable with their milk. I make my own yogurt and cheese so that isn't an issue for me.

[Piglet68]

When we were in the US we drank organic milk. Here in Canada we don't b/c there isn't any bovine growth hormone used here. Also, the price difference here is double, whereas I found in the US that organic wasn't that much more expensive than regular.

I really want to switch to organic here, too. But we go through a LOT of milk each week and it's really hard for a frugal mama like myself to suddenly up my food budget that way.

[Autumn Mama]

I really want to switch to organic here, too. But we go through a LOT of milk each week and it's really hard for a frugal mama like myself to suddenly up my food budget that way.


:yeah:

I tried lowering the cost of purchasing milk by buying the organic for the LO and then regular for myself and DH, but two things changed that:

1. I felt deprived if *I* couldn't have the "good milk" as well as the LO :o, and

2. It was still too expensive, my two boys drink ALOT of cow's milk!!! It goes on cereal, goes with most meals, gets steamed on a cold day, is consumed like water on a hot day etc.

So, :shrug I chose to drink less of it, my DH drinks next to none these days, and mostly we buy it for the kids again.

I haven't heard the same horror stories about Canadian milk as I have about the US milk, so I don't feel that worried, but I do think that the information about Canada's milk's contents and dairy practises should be readily available for the consumer.

I fel good about buying organic when we do, because we live on a farm where the certified organic hay that is grown supplies a local dairy who suppplies Avalon with their organic milk. So some strange part of me feels like I'm drinking milk made from hay that my LO sometimes run freely through! :love :lol

[srneda78]

I know this is the Canadian board (hey I'm only 20 minutes away :) he he).

I have a question:
I have noticed that Trader Joe's, Target, and some other stores here in the US have been advertising that their conventional milk comes form sources guaranteed to be without bovine growth hormones. In this case, WWYD? I don't drink a lot of milk (cereal mostly) and organic milk is pretty pricy. I used to always buy organic, but now, after seeing they don't have hormones, it's very tempting to just buy conventional for what little I use it.

[weliveintheforest]

I don't usually buy store bought milk, but if I do I get either organic or Avalon. If there was a non organic option that wasn't homogenized and was from healthy cows pastured on pesticide free grass, I would be just as likely to buy that as organic. I HATE our lack of options. I wrote (http://sheilanorthcott.blogspot.com/2008/08/real-milk.html) about it in my blog a while ago.
I prefer to get raw (http://www.realmilk.com) milk, and usually just avoid dairy if I can't get it fresh from the farm.

[the_lissa]

The regulations for dairy is different here than in the us. I used to have a link but I can't find it now. There are no hormones or antibiotics in Canadian milk. hormones are banned and antibiotics are only used if a cow is sick and then her milk is dumped until the medication is out of her system. Dairy herds are also much smaller here than in the us which I feel leads to better quality of life for the animals. I've visited my local dairy, where most of the milk in my town comes from and I know that the cows are mostly pasture fed and are treated humanly. So I'm comfortable with their milk. I make my own yogurt and cheese so that isn't an issue for me.

Yes exactly, so I am comfortable not buying organic. I do buy the microfiltered milk, which is a little bit more expensive, but that is a taste issue for me.

[dawncayden]

We buy conventional cows milk for the adults and conventional goat milk for ds. We can't afford to buy organic, and lately I've been drinking a lot of milk.

[BaBaBa]

If you don't have access to raw milk, organic is a better choice than regular.

My naturopath, who is also a local dairy farmer has this to say about the state of milk:

http://www.aquarianonline.com/Wellness/Good_Milk_brief.html#Pronk

Neither organic nor regular are whole foods, but organic comes a lot closer.


I think Harmony actual sells an unhomogenized organic milk which would be even better.

[hollyvangogh]

When we were in the US we drank organic milk. Here in Canada we don't b/c there isn't any bovine growth hormone used here. Also, the price difference here is double, whereas I found in the US that organic wasn't that much more expensive than regular.

I really want to switch to organic here, too. But we go through a LOT of milk each week and it's really hard for a frugal mama like myself to suddenly up my food budget that way.

:yeah: That is exactly where I'm at too.

ETA: When we lived in the states I couldn't drink conventional milk. It made me sick. I had to have organic. Here the regular stuff never makes me sick.

[gr8fulmom]

We buy organic milk in glass bottles from Avalon dairy. It is expensive (like twice as much as regular milk) and we drink about 9L per week as a family! I DO think its worth it because toxins and pesticides travel up the food chain and have their highest concentrations in animals products especially products high in fat where many toxins are stored. I beleive it is most impoirtant to eat organic (if you can't be 100% organic which we can't afford to be) foods which come from animals and are high in fat (which tend to be the same) like milk, butter eggs and meat, then we use the top 10 list for fruits and veggies. I know that organic milk is probably not toxin free (because very few if any parts of the Earth can still claim to be toxin free) but I believe it still a significant difference compared to regular milk.

[Piglet68]

This thread finally got me off my duff, and with some encouragement from friends I bit the bullet and switched to organic. I'm ordering Avalon, which comes in glass bottles, through a local delivery service.

I realized that it was time to put my money where my heart is. I support local food, so my milk should be local. I also support paying for good, quality food. What goes into my children's bodies should be a priority. I wouldn't buy the cheapest camera on the market, why buy the cheapest food?

I'm not saying this is for everybody, just saying that for me I finally realized that if I was going to be true to my own values I needed to do it. So thanks for this thread because it was the kick in the pants I needed to stop fence-sitting.

[kdtmom2be]

The BC Dairy Foundation has this web page (http://www.bcdairyfoundation.ca/about_milk/milkquality.htm) that states that use of hormones in dairy in Canada is illegal but gives no reference. (And I'm sure most of you will be unimpressed by their fact sheet on raw milk!!)


I know this is the Canadian board (hey I'm only 20 minutes away :) he he).

I have a question:
I have noticed that Trader Joe's, Target, and some other stores here in the US have been advertising that their conventional milk comes form sources guaranteed to be without bovine growth hormones. In this case, WWYD? I don't drink a lot of milk (cereal mostly) and organic milk is pretty pricy. I used to always buy organic, but now, after seeing they don't have hormones, it's very tempting to just buy conventional for what little I use it.

Tillamook products have no hormones added. Western Family and other house brands do generally. Check the packaging, there should be a number on the label in a circle, this corresponds to the dairy/manufacturer that the cheese comes from (at least in Canada, to be honest I haven't checked the US labels even though we buy ALL our cheese in the US!). In Canada at least, if you check the numbers you can get cheaper cheeses from the same manufacturer. Eg. Bari mozzerella makes the Safeway store brand that is $1-2 cheaper per package. Or, if the same is true in the US, you may be able to get hormone free milk from Tillamook at lower prices.

[mellifluousmama]

I don't usually buy store bought milk, but if I do I get either organic or Avalon. If there was a non organic option that wasn't homogenized and was from healthy cows pastured on pesticide free grass, I would be just as likely to buy that as organic. I HATE our lack of options. I wrote (http://sheilanorthcott.blogspot.com/2008/08/real-milk.html) about it in my blog a while ago.
I prefer to get raw (http://www.realmilk.com) milk, and usually just avoid dairy if I can't get it fresh from the farm.

:yeah: I totally agree with pp but i don't blog.

i go across the border regularly to buy raw, inspected pastured milk that is cheaper than local organic homogenized milk. We cannot afford to buy the local cowshare raw milk. There are some awesome sources for raw milk and cheese close to the border if one is interested.

I found this series on youtube very accurate and informative:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d3EeTBXMPo

HTH

[tooticky]

Huh - I moved to Canada two years ago and was not aware that milk here does not have hormones/abx. I buy organic milk anyways, for a variety of reasons. Even when we cannot afford to buy all organic food, I always buy organic milk and meat and get conventional veggies if we are tight on grocery money.

I agree with what other posters have said:

1. Toxins move up the food chain, so I think it is important to drink milk from a cow that has not eaten grass (or grains) that have been treated with pesticides.

2. Beyond personal health, I believe that eating organic food is better for the planet.

3. Finding a local source of organic (and raw) milk has made me feel even better about our dairy purchases.

Wow - I'm sounding pretty crunchy! :lol

[Autumn Mama]

i go across the border regularly to buy raw, inspected pastured milk that is cheaper than local organic homogenized milk.

HTH

Where exactly do you get your raw milk from? Can you provide the name and contact info? This is something I might consider...



Finding a local source of organic (and raw) milk has made me feel even better about our dairy purchases.

Wow - I'm sounding pretty crunchy! :lol

Where are your source(s), tooticky?

[mellifluousmama]

We buy Jackies Jersey's milk listed on the realmilk website. it seems to be cheapest to buy it at Laurel Farm Supply(10-15 mins past the aldergrove border). I call ahead and they never have a problem having 22 1/2 gallon's available for me by the next morning. I believe that Bill and Jackie are their neighbors but the cows are on the other side of Ferndale.
PM me if you want any more info.

[tooticky]

My source is Home On The Range (http://www.homeontherangefarms.com/), in Chilliwack. Apparently they have a few shares left, but soon will be starting a waiting list.

[Twinklefae]

We drink regular, mostly for financial reasons right now, but while reading this thread I realized something. My regular milk is local (ie. produced in the Maritimes) whereas organic milk is trucked in from Quebec.

[trivett]

We drink regular milk here as well. Sarah - I am in Halifax too and that is a very interesting observation. The amount of milk we drink between myself and the two girls (DH is not a big milk fan...just in his coffee and cereal) would put us in the hole if we bought organic. As long as there are no hormones in the milk etc. then I'm OK with regular.

[CarrieMF]

We use regular. I knew it had no hormones/antibiotics.

Our family of 5 goes through 4L in 2 WEEKS. 2 of my kids would drink more, but they have issues with too much dairy so they're limited. It's mostly used for cereal or soup.

Besides, I live in oil country I get more crap in my system breathing the air than I would get out of milk.lol

[busybee16]

Just wondering, for Canadians, if you drink cow's milk, do you drink only organic and why? Do you think regular milk is ok and why? Any links would be appreciated too :)

wellll...i'm not sure what i think about no hormones being given to our cows in canada, as they are kept in a perpetual state of lactation *somehow*, right? i mean, it is not really natural to produce milk for years at a time without a little help from some drugs or something - at least not without a baby constantly suckling. just like us, i imagine that it is a supply and demand issue. or, even more horrifying, do we continuously impregnate our cows to boost their own natural hormonal response to keep them lactating? (i'm not even sure this is possible)

anyway, i don't know the answers to those questions, but if i do buy cow's milk, it is organic, (we mostly drink soy/rice/hemp milk). the idea of drinking another animal's milk has always been icky to me, so the less 'stuff' in it, the better!! :)

bb16

[MamaDaednu]

We used to drink organic milk but after a bit of a bollocking from our new nurse practitioner I'm trying the switch to soy milk.

[Tuesday]

If we had more money available, I'd buy organic. But DH and I just can absolutely not afford to buy organic milk. In my Ontario city, organic milk is about $9.00 for a bag. I just can't afford that price. I'm incredibly frugal too. But we are a very tight budget.

We do occasionally buy organic yogurt if it's on sale though. For about 80% percent of our dairy purchases, we rely on the regular (i.e. Parmalat, Sealtest, Neilsen) brands of milk.

Whatever I consume, I do need the Vit D and Calcium - I am on a medication that apparently increases my need of these nutrients. So I make sure I consume a lot of greens and also yogurt and milk daily.

[mamabadger]

I agree with Tooticky:
1. Toxins move up the food chain, so I think it is important to drink milk from a cow that has not eaten grass (or grains) that have been treated with pesticides.
2. Beyond personal health, I believe that eating organic food is better for the planet.
I buy organic milk at Zehrs, for about $7-8 a bag. I wouldn't be able to afford it if there were more people in the house.