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Is grass-fed milk better for you than organic milk?

One industry insider claims grass-fed labels are bringing in customers, more than non-GMO labels.

September 24, 2014 by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

OMG! Is grass-fed milk better for you than organic milk?

At least that’s the question Sarah Nassauer posed in her Wall Street Journal article on July 30, 2014. I may need to change my thinking toward organic foods because I didn’t think there was anything better than “Organic." But it’s not just “grassmilk” that is jumping off grocery store shelves into those wiry shopping carts and recycled grocery bags, it’s also grass-fed yogurt (Maple Hill Creamery as an example), grass-fed cheese, grass-fed butter, grass-fed cheese curds, grass-fed ice cream, grass-fed macaroni and cheese, and the list of new products continues on.

Is it an American phenomena?

Hardly! I met with my friends from New Zealand AngusPure over two years ago in Denver, and they were looking for new ways to market their grass-fed beef in the United States. Many countries like New Zealand, Colombia and others have lush mountainous grass lands that cannot be found in the United States. In fact, it would be hard to find grass-fed beef in a retail grocery store like Kroger or Whole Foods Market, but easier to find in high-end steak restaurants. I have eaten grass-fed beef, and its flavor is addictive.

Supply and demand

Like anything in the US marketplace, supply and demand dictate the price of grass-fed products. You can purchase grass-fed milk in stores for $6 per half gallon, and a full $1 more than organic milk – and double the price of traditional milk that moms have fed their precious children for decades.

Perceived or real health benefit

I will let you decide whether the benefits are real or perceived, but there does seem to be an argument that grass-fed milk contains more healthy omega-3s than milk from cows fed mostly feed. And there is the argument that children who eat grass-fed beef and milk products may see their doctor less because they may be healthier.

Government certification

Yikes! When it seems as though our country wants less government control over our lives, some people are starting to beg the government to create certification standards for grass-fed products. I guess there is a suspicion that grass-fed milk and meat producers may cheat and create unfair advantages in the marketplace. For example, the USDA requires cows producing certified organic milk to graze on Pasteur a minimum of 120 days each year – getting at least 30 percent of their diet from pasture. I don’t know, but do grass-fed cows need to eat pasture 75 percent of the time? I guess we need standards because one restaurant may advertise that its grass-fed beef steaks came from cows that grazed on grass 75 percent of the time, and another fast casual restaurant across the street claims 100 percent grazing time. This is crazy!

Non-GMO is out of vogue?

In the Wall Street Journal article, a Maple Hill Creamery spokeswoman said “It’s not the organic, it’s not the non-GMO, (but) it’s the grass-fed label that draws in customers”. Now I am really confused!

For more information our 3-day Advanced Batter and Breading Technology Workshop Oct. 7-9 at JBT FoodTech in Sandusky, Ohio, or The 10 Pillars of Food Innovation in Denver Oct. 21-23, 2014, contact me at dsuderman@foodbevbiz.com or 303-471-1443.

Our 3-day 10 PILARS OF FOOD INNOVATION workshop will be held in October this fall also. Both courses will be offered in the Philippines/SE Asia in January 2015. This course is based in three Harvard Business Press books that have been applied to the food industry. To pre-register or to volunteer your company as a host site,contact me.

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