STICKING WITH COW’S MILK?
HERE ARE SIGNALS OF HIGHER
ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS
The typical treatment standards for dairy cows in this country
are not so hot. Dairy cows’ natural behavior is to graze on
pasture, yet 80 percent are raised only indoors, without
access to such fields. You can pick better cow’s milk products
by checking for these attributes and labels on the carton:
Pasture-raised. Because a cow is not confined in close
quarters with other animals, this label means the animal is
less likely to get sick and need antibiotics—plus it confers
some health benefits because of healthy fats in the grasses.
Third-party certifications assuring pasture-raised include
“American Grassfed” and “PCO Certified 100% Grassfed”
(the latter from the USDA-accredited certifying agency
Pennsylvania Certified Organic).
No growth hormones were used. Unfortunately, “no rBGH”
or “no rBST ” (recombinant bovine growth hormone or
recombinant bovine somatotropin, the two names for the
hormone most commonly given to cows to stimulate milk
production) aren’t verified claims. So, for assurance of no
growth hormones, look for “USDA Organic,” “Certified
Humane Raised and Handled,” “Animal Welfare Approved,”
“American Humane Certified,” and “American Grassfed.”
Widely available in supermarkets, they sometimes cost more.
Not fed animal by-products. Dairy cows are natural
herbivores, so they should be eating only vegetarian feed.
Unfortunately, the FDA has for decades allowed producers
to cut corners by feeding leftover animal parts from
slaughterhouses as well as animal poop to food-producing
animals like cows and chickens. “Vegetarian-fed” on its
own is not regulated, though, so for assurance of species-
appropriate feed, look for most of the same labels as those
indicating pasture-raised or no growth hormones used,
along with a few others found at greenerchoices.org.
52 how to be a Conscious Eater