The latest shift in the food industry has seen people moving to more organic foods like organic flour, pulses, natural sweeteners, and more. The demand for organic milk has also boomed along with it. You must have noticed the type differences between the milk kept next to each other whenever you are in the dairy section of the supermarket; one is organic and the other is regular milk.
Read also: Cow Milk Vs. Goat Milk: Which One Is Better?
No doubt, it is important to eat and drink healthy, but knowing how organic products differ from regular ones is also important to better understand your food and make more personalised and informed choices.
Let us look at the differences that set organic milk apart when compared to regular milk. Keep reading to learn more. Organic milk is nothing but milk that must come from a cow that hasn't been treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.
Not just that, the cows need to be fed at least 30 percent of their diet on pasture, which is the minimum requirement; the farmers can go for more. Moreover, the cows for organic milk must be grown without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides to get the milk, which is not chemically processed.
Conventional or regular milk can be produced following similar standards as organic milk, but it often deviates due to its complexity and additional procedures. Unlike organic milk, it doesn't adhere to the same guidelines regarding antibiotics and chemical fertilizers. Cows providing regular milk are commonly subjected to antibiotics, hormones, and supplements to boost milk production. Consequently, regular milk lacks the natural qualities associated with organic milk, hence the distinction in their names.
Organic Milk Vs. Regular Milk
Production
Organic milk is produced by cows that are fed natural food such as grasses and not treated with chemicals like antibodies, hormone growth injections, or fertilisers. They are grown in a natural way and in a natural environment. Regular milk, on the other hand, is extracted from cows, which are treated with antibodies and hormones in order to increase the production of milk.
Feed
The cows for organic milk are left to feed on pasture to cover at least 30 percent of their diet, with room to go even higher than the minimum requirement. The cows for regular milk are not required to be fed on pasture and don't have the same strict guidelines and standards as organic milk.
Texture
Organic milk tends to be thicker and creamier while also having a rich taste. Regular milk, on the other hand, has a runnier consistency and doesn't have the same creamy mouthfeel as organic milk.
Shelf Life
One of the biggest differences between organic and regular milk is that organic milk has a longer shelf life than regular milk. So if you are someone who is worried about your milk going bad in the refrigerator, then organic milk would be a great pick for you. Alternatively, you can also pick conventional milk that has been sterilised at high temperatures in order to make the milk last longer if you don't want organic milk but a longer shelf life.
Price
Due to the strict standards and guidelines for making organic milk, its production requires more money than that of regular milk. Therefore, without any surprise, organic milk is sold at a higher price than regular milk, which doesn't have to abide by the standards for organic milk.