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Home > Take Action > Tools & Resources > Guide to Milk

Guide to Milk

Organic Milk

To read the factsheet, you can: Download the PDF file.

Organic dairy cows must be raised according to standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Organic dairy cows may not be given antibiotics, or hormones (including recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone or rBGH.)
Organic dairy cows must be given 100% organic feed, which cannot be subjected to irradiation, chemical pesticides, genetic engineering, or have been treated with sewage sludge as fertilizer. Cows have to be raised from birth using these practices.
Unfortunately, some milk producers, taking advantage of consumers’ willingness to pay more for “organic” milk have been cutting corners, such as confining animals inside buildings and providing little or no access to pasture. Click here to read the Cornucopia Institute ratings of organic milk brands.

rBGH Milk

  • Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a controversial, genetically engineered artificial hormone, which is injected into cows to increase milk
    production.
  • Any dairy products that are not organic could have been produced by cows that received rBGH.
  • Also known as recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST) and marketed by the Monsanto Company as Posilac, it is injected into roughly 20% of U.S. dairy cattle.
  • rBGH is banned in Canada, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan because of its adverse health effects on cows and its unknown health effects on humans.

rBGH-free or rBST-free Milk

  • Look for organic dairy brands or brands labeled rBGH-free or rBST-freeto avoid this artificial hormone.
  • rBGH-free milk can be a cheaper alternative to buying certified organic milk. See our Artificial Hormone-free Guide to find rBGH-free brands of dairy products sold in your state.

Pasteurized Milk

  • Named after scientist Louis Pasteur, pasteurization is the process in which milk is heated to destroy any harmful microorganisms and limit fermentation. Almost all milk, organic or conventional, is pasteurized.
  • Ultra High Temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk is pasteurized at a highter temperature to extend the milk’s shelf life.

Raw Milk

  • Unpasteurized (“raw”) milk cannot be sold in most of the United States due to public health concerns, although some groups do believe that raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk because pasteurization breaks down vitamins and enzymes. In some states it is possible to buy milk directly from the farmer.

To download the handy Milk Tip wallet guide, click here.