What does it mean when milk is labeled ‘certified organic’, and is it really the healthier choice? Once upon a time it would have been hard to answer such a question. But, thanks to some tight regulations, as well as data collection and even scientific studies, it would appear that, yes indeed, organic milk may just be the better milk product.
What does it mean to be organic milk, though? In order for milk cartons to be labeled with the ‘certified organic’ label, it would mean that the producer has followed and met key criteria needed in order for it to be considered organic. The criteria would be no hormones were used to promote growth. Cows would have needed to be fed 100% organic feed, which lowers the amount of pesticides within the milk originally. No antibiotics must have been used, and lastly, the cows needed to have been grass fed for at least 120 days of the year.
The farmers must keep documentation of their organic plan, which is kept verified by on-site inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture. They make sure that the needed criteria is met for the farmers to be able to call it organic.
Nowadays, most of the major brand names of non-organic milk no longer use growth hormones, and they make it known on their labels. As for the antibiotics used, the residue left over in the milk really isn’t a concern to the consumers, because there is absolutely no antibiotics allowed to be used in any kind of milk. One of the best reasons to go with organic milk is because of the limited exposure to pesticide chemicals.
