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It's long been exasperating to the organic food industry -- the oft-stated belief that organic food is most notable for what it doesn't give you – all those yummy pesticides and chemicals. Nutritionally, common wisdom goes, organic food is no better for you than the conventional stuff.
Maybe not.
A study by researchers at Newcastle University,in England, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, has poked a hole in that thinking, showing that organic milk does have some nutritional advantages over conventional -- less saturated fat and more "good" fatty acids -- specifically omega-3s.
Testing 10 organic and 12 conventional milks sold in British grocery stores (not raw at the farm), seasonally over two years, lead researcher Gillian Butler found the organic milk more consistently showed healthier fat levels, which she believes is a result of the cows' greater reliance on grazing and their ingestion of larger amounts of clover -- typically planted in organic operations for the nitrogen that conventional fertilizers would otherwise provide.
"Switching to organic milk and dairy products provides a natural way to increase our intake of nutritionally desirable fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants without increasing our intake of less desirable fatty acids," Butler told the British newspaper, The Independent -- not a claim normally heard from a researcher, and not included in the study results. "By choosing organic milk you can cut saturated fats by 30 to 50 percent."
None of this shocked the folks at the New Hampshire-based organic milk and yogurt producer Stonyfield Farm. They've been seeing these same results in their own studies for a while, says Nancy Hirshberg, Stonyfield's vice president for natural resources.
Her reaction to the British study results: "Oh yeah, that's what we found too."
Since 2008, Stonyfield has been involved in something they call the Greener Cow Project. Its goal was to reduce the greenhouse gas methane produced by cow burps (no kidding) by altering what the cows ate -- more grass, less grain -- though for cows producing organic milk, U.S. regulation requires they be fed grass at least 120 days a year.
But the French scientists working with Stonyfield and making the various nutrient measurements on the milk told Hirshberg, "'Wait 'til you see about the health stuff,'" she recalled.
"When we started getting the numbers back and seeing the difference between organic and nonorganic, I was really shocked," said Hirshberg, who says she's pretty conservative when it comes to making nutritional claims about organic food.
"I've said to all my friends since then, 'If you ever complain again about paying too much for organic milk -- there really is a difference.'"
And she believes the British study results are transferrable to the American organic milk industry, even with the differences in geography, not just between the two nations, but also around the U.S. itself.
"I believe healthy soil, creates healthy plants, which gives us healthy animals," she said. "We all intuitively know, when cows eat well, we do, too."
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1-20-2011 @1:10PM NYCubsFan said... This is what my pediatrician said as well. Organic fruits and vegetables do not show any evidence of being more nutritious, but she stressed the importance of buying organic whole milk for brain development.
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1-20-2011 @3:04PM Michael Schmitt said... I'm glad to see that people outside of the food science realm are seeing organic foods in a more factual light. I've been reading many studies that are inconclusive about the "better nutrition" of organic vs conventional foods. Milk is about the only food that benefits from organic regulations when it comes to nutrition. The Omega-3 fatty acids comes from the green plants the cow eats; that is why fish has a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids. They eat a lot of algae....
1-21-2011 @1:22PM Leila said... Milk is not the only thing that benefits from being organic. There are plenty of other foods that do as well. I see the FDA has you in their pocket. If you don't believe all the chemicals, hormones, drugs etc. pumped into our foods on a regular basis can do you any harm, then please go drink some pesticide chemicals and see if that does your body good.
1-21-2011 @4:43PM NYCubsFan said... Leila, whose pocket are you in? We were speaking only of the nutritional content of food. Please take your fear mongering that any food not grown organically is dangerous somewhere else.
1-20-2011 @9:02PM Kevin said... Small, medium, large and x-tra large would work just fine. No need for all the dramatic size names.
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1-20-2011 @9:03PM InACorner said... I don't know about all the health benefits of organic milk but I do know it doesn't spoil as fast as 'regular' milk. I used to buy milk and have it spoil long before the experation date. I have never had organic go bad on me, it last far longer. So even if it cost more, I'm not having to throw it out either.
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1-25-2011 @1:25PM will said... The reason that most organic milk lasts longer is that it is processed with what called ultra-pasteurization; this is what you will find in most stores. Regular milk is treated under normal pasteurization. The reason is that organic milk needs to last 4-5 times longer in the stores, lower sales, etc.
Check the label and it will say.
Now the interesting part is that ultra-pasteurization breaks apart vitamin and proteins, I guess fats and fatty acid are not.
1-20-2011 @9:05PM Bubba said... I remember as a youth the wonderful taste of raw(unpasteurized) milk,there were plenty of farms here then and all the families drank it. But then came the accident and I haven't had it since. Trust me having a 1,000 lb. cow step on your chest will take all the pleasure out of the experience.
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1-20-2011 @9:11PM kEVINBGOOD621 said... I disagree with the idea that there is no difference between organic and non-organic foods in nutrition . Chemicals in non-organic foods will change the way your body processes food . This will change the nutrition value of the food . GMA food has nutrition value but again altering the genetic basis of a food will change how it is processed by our bodies . GMA food should be clearly labeled for people who wish to avoid such food . I love organic milk !
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1-20-2011 @9:35PM ashcamp said... I would love to buy organic, we are currently growing alot of our own food and hoping on getting a cow of our own but my family of 4 goes thru 5 gals a week and i would not be able afford that in organic
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1-20-2011 @9:37PM KMA said... Any wonder why people are moving away from Genetically Modified (GM) BGH used in USA milk cows. Notice since they started using it the amount of kids with allergies? Check out anything made with modified corn, soy and canola and check out any animal studies (if you can find them) regarding the GM product vs non GM product. Even the rats needed to be force fed GM products over non GM Products
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1-20-2011 @10:36PM Michael Reese said... A persistent misconception needs to be cleared up. The word 'need', in nutrition, refers to the absolute minimum amount of a substance that will prevent deficiency. That differs from 'optimal', or best. Many people believe that the minimum is enough, when it is only enough to prevent sickness. So when I read that organic food is not nutritionally 'better' than conventionally produced food, I have to wonder just what measurement is being used. This is particularly a subject that pops up when protein is discussed .. what one 'needs' is not what is optimal. You can put just enough gas in a vehicle to get to a destination, but is that optimal? No. For more information on this subject, look up 'The Protein Prejudice'. Interesting reading, I promise ...
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1-20-2011 @10:01PM Diane said... Don't drink cow's milk, organic or any other type! Switch to soy or almond milk. Take the time to read Cambell's book The China Study and you will never drink cow's milk again.
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1-21-2011 @1:15AM Michael Reese said... Dear Diane: you are laboring under a couple of misconceptions. One: milk comes from mammals, not beans or seeds. Two: just because someone tells you that something is good for you, doesn't mean it is. To put it succinctly, almond 'milk', as sold commercially, is a joke, nutritionally. Almonds are rich in good fats and protein, and almond milk has little of either, but it does have added sugar -you'd be better off making your own almond milk. I wouldn't eat any unfermented soy product, period. There's enough evidence available to show unfermented soy's drawbacks. However, I don't drink all that much milk anyway, and I have tried the unsweetened almond milk.
1-21-2011 @4:09AM Diane said... Dear Michael, We are all familiar with the dictionary definition of milk. The terms almond milk and soy milk are universally accepted for these products. Anyone interested in lower calories, lower fat calories, elimination of saturated fat and cholesterol, etc. would be well served to compare labels between cows milk and almond milk. And just because the dairy industry spends about $160 million dollars per year to tell you their product is good for you, doesn't mean it is. Anyone taking the time to read The China Study will not only be better informed about nutrition, they will also gain a new perspective on the role government and special interest groups serve the 'health' industry.
1-20-2011 @10:03PM John said... I drink a lot of milk and I started drinking organic milk about a year ago. The taste is simply unbelievable when compared to non-organic milk. Even if the study showed it wasn't any healthier, I'd keep drinking it because it tastes so good.
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1-20-2011 @11:09PM Squiggles said... I'm slowly switching all our food over to a more nutritionally rich diet. Going from regular milk to organic, then to raw grass-fed organic milk is one step. The next one will be to buy grass-fed beef in bulk, which is actually cheaper than regular store-bought beef and also provides you with all the good fatty acids. Getting the kids to want to eat healthier actually has been easy; they came up to me and asked if we (as a family) could eat only healthy foods, only organic, no junk. Mind you, this came from the mouths of 5 and 6 year-olds...! But yes, it's great to see an independent study back things up.
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1-20-2011 @11:22PM eienne said... organic well is a dream just think next door the guy is ussing pestiside to do is farm some distence need to be keep because mile allway because the pestiside will come in contact with the organic farm is mother of nature under ground water
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1-21-2011 @12:10AM Gina said... Milk disgusts me ever since I read that the FDA allows so many parts per billion of PUS in our milk! UGH That's not even the worst of it! Some of these poor dairy cows have terrible udder and leg infections from all the growth hormones and all those antibiotics and hormones are leeching into the milk. The FDA should clamp down on these dairy farms and FORCE them to clean up their act so that we have clean healthy milk along with the cows being better taken care of. Who wants to drink milk or eat beef from a cow that has infections, tumors and cancers?
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1-21-2011 @12:26AM MWC said... This is silly, if not downright stupid. ALL milk is organic. It is produced by lactating organs in all mammals.
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