Ignorant or Informed Consumer: your milk may not need to be organic or rbST free

I try to buy organic milk. The reasons for buying organic milk have as much to do with my family's health as with how the farm land and animals are managed. I have the impression that cows that produce "organic" milk are healthier and so is the land around them.  There are no pesticides being used in their environment. There are no hormones being given to the cows.  As I write this, however, I have to admit that I haven't researched one bit of information regarding organic milk, rbST or "regular" milk.  My conclusions are based on hear-say and impressions that I have of the industry. 

I found this article today when I was reviewing my Twitter feeds over tea.  The blog entry is "The Smoke and Mirrors of Milk Marketing."  Now I'm both a consumer and a marketer, so this has my attention.  The author, Terry Etherton, says that farmers of rbST are being cheated.  "In a nutshell, some dairy processors and retailers have been willing to use deceptive labeling campaigns to exploit consumer ignorance, and raise the suspicion that some milk (i.e., organic or rbST-free) might be safer or healthier than other milk (i.e, conventional), and charge a whole lot more!


Uh. Am I an ignorant consumer or an informed one? Are advertisers and marketers exploiting me?  Etherton blogs that rbST is safe. He also blogs that we organic purchasers are not buying the milk we think we are, being fleeced I guess. 

It so happens that on Tuesday of this week, I researched the price of organic milk at Safeway and Fred Meyer.  At Safeway, 1/2 gallon is $3.29.  One gallon is $5.99.  At Fred Meyer 1/2 gallon is $2.99 and one gallon is $5.48.  I didn't even look at non-organic milk, but I think it's about $2.49 for one gallon.

Terry Etherton's blog entries around this subject is a good example of why I am blogging about groceries and food.  I want to be an informed consumer; not a victim of advertising.  As consumers, it's challenging to take the time to research this stuff and so that's what I'm here for - to research it, learn from it and share it with you. 

Here's a link to Terry Etherton's blog: http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2008/04/01/food-costs-increase-and-the-smoke-and-mirrors-of-rbst-free-milk-marketing-rolls-onand-onand-on/  (Dr. Etherton is a Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition and Head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State University).

Ignorant or Informed Consumer: your milk may not need to be organic or rbST free -- I'll find out and let you know...


So, I don't have time today to look into this any further. The kids are out of school today and tomorrow and I'm lucky I got this much written.  They've been in here just about every ten minutes asking for empty boxes, then tape, then scissors...you know.  Here's the deal. I am going to make this rbST my next research project. If you, my dear reader, have any information to share with me, please comment below or send me an email. Thanks.
~ Katrina