MJN Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 there was a discussion on here a while back about organic milk, but I never saw the conclusion and can't find it. So, did we decide that one is really organic and they treat their animals humanely? And, can you refresh my memory, what was wrong with Horizons? Can you link me to any info. on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Here are some ratings. At the bottom of the page, there are links to more information on how the ratings are determined. Hope this helps! Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianaG Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Certified organic is certified organic, one's not more organic than the other. The complaints against Horizons are about businesss practices and large scale factory production in general. The organic farmers are raising issues that aren't related to organic but instead are related to market stability and preservance of a particular way of doing business. The low ratings in the link that Janet gave were assigned according to labeling and factory production, not quality of milk or its failure to meet organic labeling requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo4 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Certified organic is certified organic, one's not more organic than the other. Sure, but Organic Valley is much more likely to have milk from cows raised on grass rather than grain. Big difference IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Certified organic is certified organic, one's not more organic than the other. Sure, but Organic Valley is much more likely to have milk from cows raised on grass rather than grain. Big difference IMO. Right, and there is a difference in the milk. I've bought many different brands of organic milk and Horizon is among the worst, while OV is among the best. If I had to go back to pasteurized milk I'd buy OV. There is really a difference in the flavor of the milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo4 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Who? If you don't mind me asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianaG Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Sure, but Organic Valley is much more likely to have milk from cows raised on grass rather than grain. Big difference IMO. Organic certification requires access to pasture. Some get more than others. That doesn't have anything bearing on the organic status of a herd. The op thinks that the organic label on some brands is bogus. There's no reason to distrust the label claims of certified organic. Again, look at the website that was linked and the criteria used to low rankings. They gave two cows to companies who had verifiable good quality sources, but their rating was reduced because they didn't trust the company's long term commitment to organic production (i.e. they are larger factories who would likely discontinue their organic line if it became unprofitable). There is no reason to downgrade a good quality product, or call into question its organic status, simply because it is being produced by a large company that is trying to enter a lucrative, high demand market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Who? If you don't mind me asking. Colleen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Organic Valley is by no means the only milk that is genuinely organic. Our cooperative's standards do go above and beyond those required by the USDA for organic certification, though. If you search the boards ~ use key words such as valley, milk, or organic ~ you'll find past discussions on this subject. Hope that helps!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 There's no reason to distrust the label claims of certified organic. Unfortunately, some consumers may justifiably harbor distrust thanks to the questionable practices of some large-scale farms ~ one of which was stripped of its organic certification due to violations, for example. They gave two cows to companies who had verifiable good quality sources, but their rating was reduced because they didn't trust the company's long term commitment to organic production (i.e. they are larger factories who would likely discontinue their organic line if it became unprofitable). There is no reason to downgrade a good quality product, or call into question its organic status, simply because it is being produced by a large company that is trying to enter a lucrative, high demand market. The concerns are more complex than you intimate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Unfortunately in my town the only thing I can find available is Horizons or store brand (Walmart, Target, etc). I can't find any Organic Valley or such. Do you believe that Horizons organic or store organic is still better than regular milk? Just curious about opinions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 About 2 BUCKS more per half gallon for OV. Making the transition to organic milk after moving to Hawaii is taking a bite out of the food budget! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie in Oh Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 is that the quality is in the taste. There is no question that OV is the best product on the market if you go by taste alone, imo. I buy Preferred something or other (Kroger stor brand) if I can't buy OV, but thankfully OV is carried in our Commissary (Battlemaiden do you know that?) and it is only $3.20 / half gallon here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetest Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I feel your pain...we transitioned to organic after moving to Hawaii too. We were in Korea before and it wasn't available at the commissary there. I have a hard enough time adjusting to the cost of regular milk...but organic is almost $5 for 2 quarts here (and that is at the commissary, have you priced it on the economy, wow!) Not sure if you belong to Costco but they do have organic milk available there...although not OV...it is almost $9 for 1.5 gallons (3 two quart containers). I get most of our milk there as the price difference is substantial. Just wanted to share :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I know O.V. is available in many Alabaman cities including Mobile, Auburn, Montgomery, Birmingman, and Tuscaloosa. If you got to the link below, you can plug in your zip and see if there are any retailers near you. Maybe something will turn up?:) http://www.organicvalley.coop/store-locator/where-to-buy/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thank you Colleen! It says a local grocery store has it (they carry butter but not the milk) and a tiny local health food store. I haven't checked the health food store. I'm excited to check it out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I won't be joining Costco until we move back to the Leeward side of the island. The travel time would negate the savings. At the Kaneohe MCB OV is $5.35/half-gallon! Horizons is still in the $3.60 range. I like the taste of OV better, but yikes the cost difference is just too much. The local safeway has a generic brand of organic but we haven't price compared. I wonder what provider feeds into the generic store brands? Hawaii is about to shut down it's last dairy farm. I have only lived here a couple months but I'm already writing letters about why the government can't protect certain land areas as "forever agricultural" land. It is the absolute ONLY way the farmers and dairies will invest in their businesses. The cost of land and the money from home builders and hotel industry can always out bid on the land. Can you believe I can only find ONE organic farmers market on the entire island of Oahu? One. And it isn't in a convenient location for most of the island. This is Hawaii for pete's sake. Year round growing season, plenty of demand. :confused: For a place that is actually debating a BAN on plastic bags and styrofoam. They could do a lot more. Sorry, I got a little off topic. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thank you Colleen! It says a local grocery store has it (they carry butter but not the milk) and a tiny local health food store. I haven't checked the health food store. I'm excited to check it out. Thanks! You're welcome.:) That's interesting that the grocery carries OV butter but not milk. Maybe you can ask them if they'll carry the milk, too. It may be a shortage or distribution issue. I hope you can find it at the health food store you mentioned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Those prices are seriously pricey! If it helps, you can go to the Organic Valley website and print out coupons, including $1 off either a gallon or half-gallon of milk. The local safeway has a generic brand of organic but we haven't price compared. I wonder what provider feeds into the generic store brands? Aurora Organics, whose practices have been called in to question by most watchdog groups, supplies the vast majority of store brand organic milk. Hawaii is about to shut down it's last dairy farm. I have only lived here a couple months but I'm already writing letters about why the government can't protect certain land areas as "forever agricultural" land. It is the absolute ONLY way the farmers and dairies will invest in their businesses. I certainly agree with you regarding the preservation of ag land, etc but it's prohibitively expensive to operate a dairy in Hawaii. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetest Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I guess I'm lucky that I live closer to Costco than the commissary...at least as far as organic milk is concerned. Funny that Horizons milk is only about .50 cents cheaper than OV at the Schofield Commissary - still over $4.00 (I believe it is $4.35 vs. $4.90)...so at $3/half gallon, Costco is considerably cheaper for me...with the price of gas I can see how it wouldn't be worth it for you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Aurora Organics, whose practices have been called in to question by most watchdog groups, supplies the vast majority of store brand organic milk. This is correct. However, they don't supply Whole Foods' in-store brand (not sure who does), if you have access to a WF. Also, milk freezes beautifully, so if you can make a once-a-month trip to stock up, you can freeze and thaw as needed. About Horizon, yes, they are certified organic, but as Colleen mentioned, the practices on its factory farms are in question. For example, they have been known to purchase cows that have been raised and fed conventionally, and have received the standard hormones and antibiotics, for their entire lives and put them directly into service providing "organic" milk. In addition, watchdog groups have made unannounced visits to Horizon farms that claim to pasture their animals and have found all animals in the building eating feed, with no grass in sight in any of the pastures, in warm seasons. That said, if my choices were limited to conventional milk or Horizon, I'd still buy Horizon. And we do regularly buy Horizon American cheese, because we think it tastes better than the other organic options we have available. I prefer OV or Stonyfield Farms milk, which also gets a very good rating, I believe. We also have a brand here called Amish Country Farms, but I haven't researched them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I guess I'm lucky that I live closer to Costco than the commissary...at least as far as organic milk is concerned. Funny that Horizons milk is only about .50 cents cheaper than OV at the Schofield Commissary - still over $4.00 (I believe it is $4.35 vs. $4.90)...so at $3/half gallon, Costco is considerably cheaper for me...with the price of gas I can see how it wouldn't be worth it for you :) I believe Costco's milk (Kirkland brand) is from the dreaded Aurora--the worst offender, and the one that was stripped of its certification. I found that out after I bought one of the three-packs' recently :( I'll confirm, if I can. Edited to add link: http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/04/news/companies/gunther_organicmilk.fortune/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 OV. We actually stopped buying organic milk and just drank regular becoz it tasted so bad. For the past 2 weeks , we have switched to OV and the difference in taste is so much better. Elmeryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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