Greener Pastures: Study Shows Organic Milk Healthier than
Conventional A recent study published in the Journal of Dairy
Science by a group of British scientists showed that organic
milk had higher percentages of heart-healthy fatty acids than
the regular stuff. Gillian Butler of Newcastle University, who
led the study, told Sustainable Food News that by choosing
organic, consumers in the U.K. can reduce artery-clogging
saturated fats in their milk by 30 to 50 percent and still get
the same level of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Confirming a
study undertaken in the United States in 2006 by the Union of
Concerned Scientists, Butler's team found that low levels of
"good" fats were attributable to the cows' conventional diet,
which typically is low in fresh grass. In Britain (and in the
United States beginning one year ago) organic milk cows get a
significant amount of their nutrition from fresh pasture. In the
United States, the vast majority of conventional cows are kept
in confinement and fed hay, silage, an