So what do the labels really mean???

Who likes to go grocery shopping?? (not me)

Well... today we are going to the grocery store.  Let's pick.. you guessed it - "Super" Walmart! (just an example).  How about we get some personal hygiene things first.  You need shampoo.  There you are... staring at the 100's of kinds of shampoo and conditioner.  Dandruff, volume, color, curl, expensive, cheap - how do you choose?  It's the same way buying toothpaste!! Can't there just be a bottle of shampoo that says, "shampoo" and thats it?  Marketing departments for that company truly have to try and differentiate their products so that people will buy.  Some will be bright colored, some will have "tag lines" or "sayings" and some -- this is the one that gets me -- smell good... yummmm.....

Is this you?

Ok, we have the shampoo smelling out of our system.  Next on the list, MILK! :)  The dairy case can sometimes be just as confusing.  There are many labels that appear on milk packages.  How do you know what the labels all mean?  How do you know what to buy?  Be assured that regardless of these different labels, all milk is SAFE and HEALTHY.

Your milk is produced by thousands of dairy farm families across the United States.  These dairy families work hard every day to improve the quality of care for their animals, and in return, they improve the quality of milk available to you and the grocery store.

Let's dig a little deeper into these labels:

HORMONE-FREE:  All milk produced by dairy cows contains trace amount of hormones.  This is NATURAL … a part of their normal biology of lactation and reproduction.

*Bottom line:  All milk contains trace amounts of hormones naturally.

ANTIBIOTIC-FREE:  Dairy producers and processors test all milk every day of the year to ensure that ALL milk in your dairy case is free from antibiotics.  In fact, over 5 million tests are administered annually by the dairy industry to test for antibiotics. 

Dairy cows sometimes get sick and need medical attention in order to get better.  In some cases, an antibiotic is prescribed.  Cows treated with antibiotics are given extra special care and their milk is discarded until they are healthy and their milk is free from antibiotics.

On our dairy, when a cow is treated with antibiotics she is identified as “treated” and her milk is separated from the rest of the cows and dumped down the drain.  Here is an example:  Cow #184 just had a little heifer calf on Friday.  (don’t get woosey… this is kind of gross) Sometimes after a cow gives birth, she does not expel the placenta, or “cleanings” as we call it in the farm world.  This is a situation.  If not dealt with, those “cleanings” will become toxic inside the cow and her life is on the line.  Today, #184 was treated with antibiotics.   She is now labeled as a “treated cow” and her milk will be separated from the rest of the cows and dumped right down the drain.  Her milk will continue to go down the drain until the FDA designated milk withhold time period has passed.  Before she can “go into the tank” her milk will have to be tested to make sure it is free of antibiotic residues.  Let’s say #184’s milk gets mixed in before being tested…….. what happens????? THE WHOLE BULK TANK IS DUMPED DOWN THE DRAIN.  Trust me – this is NOT a good day.  For us, that would be about 10,000# of milk. Yikes.

*Bottom line:  All milk is free from antibiotics.

rbST-FREE:  Bovine somatotropin (bST) is a naturally occurring protein hormone in cows.  The purpose of bST is to coordinate nutrient use by the cow to keep her healthy and support milk production.  The synthetic version of bST, known as rbST, is made using the same technology used to make insulin for diabetics.  Use of rbST by dairy producers helps them to produce enough nutritious wholesome milk to keep milk affordable while conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. Since rbST was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration in the early 1990s, its safety has been affirmed and reaffirmed by the scientific community.  Scientists tell us that bST is species-limited, meaning that it is BIOLOGICALLY INACTIVE in humans.

Dairy producers continue to meet the food and nutritional needs of our growing population by using safe technologies such as this.

More milk, fewer cows, smaller footprint.

·         LESS land is needed to raise feed for the cows

·         LESS water is needed for irrigation because fewer crops are needed

·         FEWER greenhouse gasses are emitted

·         LESS fuel is required for dairy operations and to cultivate, grow and harvest crops

·         LESS manure is generated from cows for the same amount of milk

If you would like more information on this subject, visit: Global Dairy Innovation

 *Bottom line:  Regardless of whether rbST is used on the farm, the levels of bST in milk are the same.  All milk is safe and all milk is healthy.

PASTEURIZED:  Pasteurization is a simple, effective technique to kill bacteria without affecting taste or nutritional value of milk.  All milk intended to direct consumption should be pasteurized – it’s a matter of food safety. 

*Bottom line:  This is done to ensure all milk is safe and healthy for us to drink. 

ORGANIC:  In order for milk to be labeled organic, it must come from farms that meet certain on-farm requirements, including no use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, no supplemental hormones and no use of commercial fertilizers.  While on-farm practices vary between organic and regular milk, they are equally nutritious and wholesome.

*Bottom line:  The ADA has declared that conventionally-produced products are just as safe and just as nutritious as organically-produced food.

I hope this kind of helped clear up the mud.  What other labels do you see?