Question from Wesley Wettengel
My wife and I always buy organic milk and want to make sure what we are buying is not only best for us but also best for the cows, farmers, and the earth. We usually buy either Horizon or Organic Valley but our local store (Kroger’s) has their own brand called Naturally Preferred. Can you provide any additional info on these three brands that might make one better than the others?
Debra’s Answer
First, I’m always inclined to purchase the most local food products that are available. When I lived in California, I used to buy all my milk and cream from Straus Family Creamery, It’s a picturesque dairy farm overlooking Tomales Bay, with a clean breeze right off the Pacific Ocean. I visited the farm. I met the family and the cows. I understood their dedication to organic agriculture and what they were doing. They were part of the rural community in which I lived. All their milk and cream came in glass bottles, and I could get “cream-top” milk and shake it up myself.
We don’t have anything like that here in Florida. We have our choice of the national brands Horizon or Organic Valley.
I’ve always been partial to Organic Valley myself. I just think the milk tastes better. I used to have both brands listed on Debra’s List, but I took down Horizon because the Organic Consumers Association called for a boycott (type “organic consumers association horizon” in your favorite search engine for more info on this).
Another thing I like about Organic Valley is that it is the only organic brand to be solely owned and operated by organic farmers. As farmer-owners, they pay themselves a stable, equitable and sustainable price for their milk. Some of their common practices include humane treatment of animals (access to the outdoors, fresh air, pure water, sunshine and exercise), rotational grazing, pasturing animals, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
One thing to keep in mind about store brands is that the stores are doing what is called “private label,” which means that another manufacturer is putting the store brand on their own product. The store doesn’t actually produce the product. So, for example, the store brand coffee might actually be a top brand, but it is sold at a lower price because it doesn’t have the brand name. Your Naturally Preferred milk might come from local organic dairies, but it’s just as possible that it comes from Horizon. I would contact Kroger’s and find out where the milk comes from and anything you can about the growing practices.
