Milk That Does a Body Better
Good news from New Jersey milk producers. The Garden State's dairy farmers will begin to sell Jersey Fresh Skim Milk in your local grocery store beginning Aug. 7.
I'm excited. Who wants milk that traveled all the way from Wisconsin when you can get it from a cow just down the Turnpike? (Well, it actually gets shipped to a processing plant in Pennsylvania and sold through a North Jersey distributor before you can pull it off the shelf, but let's not get technical while I'm standing on my milk crate.)
The announcement, which is in newspapers today, talks about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture responding to a national movement to eat locally grown foods because consumers think they will be fresher and safer. Why do we think that? Because the milk might sour along the way? Have we convinced ourselves that no one in my state would put growth hormones in the milk we give to our kids?
This is not about perception. It's about state-mandated safety regulations that need to be diligently enforced.
We should applaud the state for actually creating regulations that forbid Jersey's dairy farmers using the Jersey Fresh brand from injecting growth hormones and antibiotics in its fat-free milk. They are the unwanted additives we know we don't want in our milk. And they are the reasons many of us - including myself - buy organic milk for our children.
The cost of Jersey Fresh milk is expected to run higher than "regular" milk, which is co-mingled from cows grazing across the country, but less than the price of organic milk. But if we want dairy farmers to survive in this state and ensure a healthier product for our families, then we have to be willing to pay the extra 50 cents per half gallon.
If the program is successful, perhaps we can convince our farmers - and state regulators - to sell a whole-milk version. After all, if the state can make a milk that does a body better, let's make sure it benefits those who need it the most: our infants and toddlers.
I'm excited. Who wants milk that traveled all the way from Wisconsin when you can get it from a cow just down the Turnpike? (Well, it actually gets shipped to a processing plant in Pennsylvania and sold through a North Jersey distributor before you can pull it off the shelf, but let's not get technical while I'm standing on my milk crate.)
The announcement, which is in newspapers today, talks about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture responding to a national movement to eat locally grown foods because consumers think they will be fresher and safer. Why do we think that? Because the milk might sour along the way? Have we convinced ourselves that no one in my state would put growth hormones in the milk we give to our kids?
This is not about perception. It's about state-mandated safety regulations that need to be diligently enforced.
We should applaud the state for actually creating regulations that forbid Jersey's dairy farmers using the Jersey Fresh brand from injecting growth hormones and antibiotics in its fat-free milk. They are the unwanted additives we know we don't want in our milk. And they are the reasons many of us - including myself - buy organic milk for our children.
The cost of Jersey Fresh milk is expected to run higher than "regular" milk, which is co-mingled from cows grazing across the country, but less than the price of organic milk. But if we want dairy farmers to survive in this state and ensure a healthier product for our families, then we have to be willing to pay the extra 50 cents per half gallon.
If the program is successful, perhaps we can convince our farmers - and state regulators - to sell a whole-milk version. After all, if the state can make a milk that does a body better, let's make sure it benefits those who need it the most: our infants and toddlers.
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