Many years ago my husband and I, in different fields, nevertheless found ourselves at the same conference in San Francisco. Afterward, we rented a car and took a lazy drive up the coast. The Pacific backdrop was beyond spectacular; we had never seen anything like it. From time to time we drove past small herds of contented, unimpressed cattle resting on bright green grassy knolls. “Lucky cows,” muttered my husband.
The big news this week is from my dietitian colleague who scooped everyone to make sure I saw the Washington State University study comparing organic milk from pastured cows with non-organic milk from confined cows fed a grain-based diet. This large-scale study, the first of its kind in the U.S., collected milk from across the U.S. over 18 months to study nutrient, seasonal and regional variations.
And the researchers concluded [drumroll, please!] that organic milk has 62% more omega-3 fatty acids and 25% fewer omega-6s than nonorganic milk produced by confined cows fed a diet consisting primarily of grain. Average omega-6:omega-3 ratios were 2.3-2.6 for organic milk samples and 5.8-6.3 for nonorganic milk. Why am I not surprised? Well, ye-eh, if you feed an animal a diet that is high in green, leafy vegetables (grass), it will likely make milk that is higher in omega-3s than if you feed it a diet that is high in grain and grain-based waste, which is high in omega-6s. Makes total sense to me.
The data revealed other interesting facts. For example, researchers found greater concordance between organic and non-organic milk samples in one particular place, Humboldt County, than anywhere else in the country. Located in northern California, Humboldt County is a coastal region where all dairy farms, whether organic or not, graze cattle for over 250 days per year. Lucky cows! Their extensive exposure to grass contrasts sharply with the negligible access to pasture on non-organic dairy farms in California’s major dairy centers further south.
Researchers found major regional differences in non-organic milk, but not organic milk. It turns out that whereas organic cows eat pretty much the same diet everywhere, notably grass and hay, non-organic dairy operations are frequently built near vegetable oil, soy biodiesel, ethanol, brewery, and other food processing plants to facilitate transfer of waste byproducts for use as cow feed. That milk reflects the tremendous differences in what those cows eat. Garbage in, garbage out?
In related news, although total milk consumption has been falling for years, sales of organic milk, particularly whole milk, are rising. Organic milk now accounts for 4% of total milk sales, with whole milk up 10% and skim milk sales down 7%.
The researchers concluded that there are significant opportunities to improve the nutritional profile of milk and dairy products. That’s a nice way to put it.