UNITED STATES-WHY PAY TRIPLE THE PRICE FOR ORGANIC MILK.
Milk. It epitomizes wholesomeness. Add the word organic and a label with a happy cow grazing in a lush pasture, and it represents all that is pure. And what mother doesn’t want to give her children the best?
But while organic milk may be pure, it’s also pricey. Today, you’ll pay $6.29 for a gallon of it at a San Francisco Safeway. In a sagging economy what family can afford this? Is it worth the high price?
People who switch to organic milk typically do so because they are concerned about the antibiotics, artificial hormones and pesticides used in the commercial dairy industry. But one recent United States Department of Agriculture survey found certain pesticides in about only 30 percent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample. The level is relatively low compared to some other foods such as strawberries and spinach which contain higher concentrations.
Regardless, Dr. Alan Greene, a Danville pediatrician and author of Raising Baby Green, advises parents to go organic when it comes to milk. "I’m a big fan of finding ways to economize when you’re creating a green household," Dr. Greene says. "I’d tell you to open a window and buy some house plants rather than buy a fancy air filter. But when parents are deciding which foods to put into their kids bodies, I think they need to strive for the best possible foods. You need to think of it as an investment in their future. The food your children eat is helping build their bones, their brains. Also you have to consider that when you choose a glass of conventional milk, you are buying into a whole chemical system of agriculture."
Greene adds that some organic milk has a higher omega-3 content and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) level. Milk from grass-fed cows can contain as much as five times the amount of CLA, which some studies using animal models show can help fight cancer, according to the New York Times.
Here’s a look at the price of a gallon of organic milk at grocery stores throughout San Francisco .
Costco
$10.49, Organic Valley , two pack of 1 gallon bottles ($5.25 each), 1% only
Good Life Grocery
$6.99, Clover
Molly Stone’s
$6.99, Clover Organic
Rainbow Grocery
$6.90, Clover Organic
Safeway
$6.29, Safeway Organics, Club Price (marked down from $7.39)
$6.49, Horizon Organic, Club Price (marked down from $6.99)
Trader Joe’s
$6.29, TJs brand
Whole Foods
$6.29, 365 Organic
$6.99, Clover Organic
What’s the price of nonorganic milk? A lot less. At a San Francisco Safeway, the Lucerne brand is $2.99 and if you buy two gallons you pay only $1.99 a gallon. At Whole Foods the 365 nonorganic is $2.95.
*Note: Prices as of April 1, 2009.
