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Processed organic food usually contains only organic ingredients. If non-organic ingredients are present, at least a certain percentage of the food's total plant and animal ingredients must be organic and any non-organically produced ingredients are subject to various agricultural requirements.
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Foods claiming to be organic must be free of artificial food additives, and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions, such as chemical ripening, food irradiation, and genetically modified ingredients. Pesticides are allowed so long as they are not synthetic.
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Cow's milk or indeed the milk of any creature is an ideal environmental indicator for registering the level of pollutants and pesticides in the environment. Why? Because what goes in the mouth of a cow gets processed into large quantities of milk. If its on the grass it's going to end up in your pint of milk.
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Beyond this four main factors have led to the increasing interest by farmers and consumers in organic dairy farming:
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consumer concerns about food safety and animal welfare
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overproduction of food (perceived as low in quality)
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the environmental effects of intensive farming
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the premium milk price and expanding market for organic milk products
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As milk is a major contributor to our diet in the guises of butter, cheese, yoghurt and iceream many peploe are now concerned about the quality of this staple foodstuff.
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Milk is one of the most important components of our daily diets and is vital to healthy bones, teeth, and general growth and development. Now through organic farming there is a new breed of dairy products widely available.
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Organic milk has been found to be even healthier than traditional milk, and demand for organic brands has been on the rise. While many may be skeptical, a recent study conducted in Wales supports the increased benefits, including high content of conjugated linoleic acid, also known as CLA9, and higher levels of vitamin E, beta carotene, antioxidants, and the presence of more omega-3 fatty acids.
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There are strict legal parameters around the diets of cows on organic farms which are granted independent certification. Organic milk is produced by cows that are fed all-natural foods by grazing and eating fresh grass, forage, and clover. Non-organic farms are allowed to use pesticides and fertilizer for the growth of fodder, and feed hormones and antibiotics to their cows. The excessive uses of these have resulted in some health-conscious consumers preferring organic milk.
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The study released by the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group found that the summer months lead to the biggest gap between organic and non-organic milk, because of the wider discrepancy in feeding techniques. Gillian Butler, who led the study, stated that 84 percent of food for cows on organic farms in the summer was provided through natural grazing, and only 37 percent for non-organic farmed animals.
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Some farms are not located in areas that allow for cows to graze year round, because of the harsh winter weather and rainy seasons requiring them to keep cows inside and use food supplements, such as previously cut grasses and assorted cereals or grains. This doesn't remove the value of non-organic milk, but all naturally grazing fed cows seem to allow for even more nutritional benefits and value than non-organic, based on the recent study.
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Organic farms are more costly to operate because there is less milk produced for each unit of land. This also causes organic milk to be more expensive.
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The study was conducted to survey milk quality and ways to minimize the use of antibiotics in dairy products. Some of the most significant finds of the new released study were the differences in organic and non-organic milks compared seasonally. Researchers and scientist plan to take their research and use it to help improve the nutritional composition of milk while cows are kept indoors and fed mostly conserved grasses.
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Though organic milk is double the cost of non-organic milk there are many people who have reasons that they prefer the organic milk over non-organic. Whether it be the taste or the health benefits, yearly there are more and more people who or switching over to the even more healthy dairy drink. Non-organic milk is still very healthy for you, so if you are one of those who's budget or conscious won't allow you to pay double for the organic product, know that you are still benefiting from drinking a very healthy and necessary product when you choose to drink non-organic milk.
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