Organic Milk and Meat Enhances the Nutritional Quality of Human Breast Milk  
August 2007

A European team lead by the Swiss scientist Lukas Rist has found that mothers consuming mostly organic milk and meat products have about 50 percent higher levels of rumenic acid in their breast milk (Risk et al., 2007). This Conjugated Linoleic Acid is responsible for most of the health benefits of CLAs in milk and meat. 

The authors of this European study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in June 2007 report that the greater reliance of organic beef and dairy farmers on pasture and forage grasses increases the levels of CLAs in milk and beef, and in turn in the breast milk of women eating organic animal products.

Source: “Influence of organic diet on the amount of conjugated linoleic acids in breast milk”

Authors: Lukas Rist, Andre Mueller, Christiane Barthel, Bianca Snijders, Margje Jansen, A. Paula Simoes-Wust, Machteld Huber, Ischa Kummeling, Ursula von Mandach, Hans Steinhart, and Carel Thijs.

British Journal of Nutrition, 2007.

From: The Organic Center

Organic Food For Your Baby … it only makes sense!
Contributed by Kalpna Solanki BSc MBA CPHI(C) and owner of Bobobaby

As a family we had been eating organic food for more than ten years.  When our daughter came along, of course, her food had to be organic too.  Why?

Because it’s better for your child  

• Children with their smaller size, rapid growth rate and speedy metabolisms are more vulnerable to developmental damage than adults.  Research shows that a child gets four times more exposure to pesticides in their foods than adults.
• Immature infant organs and body systems are more susceptible to damage from toxins in foods. Infant digestive tracts absorb toxins more easily, and young kidneys are inefficient at excreting toxins, allowing them to circulate longer in the body.
• Infants’ diets are usually restricted to a small range of foods that may also place them at higher risk of pesticide exposure.
• Current regulations of acceptable pesticide residues allowed in conventional, non-organically grown food are based on standards developed for adult consumption not children.  Children just cannot withstand that level of exposure.
• Research shows that organically grown foods may be more nutritious than conventionally grown foods.  For example, organic fruits and vegetables have been shown to contain more vitamin C and are richer in some antioxidants such as polyphenolic compounds.  Furthermore, organically grown grains may have better quality protein than non-organic grains.
• Organically grown foods taste better too!

Because it’s better for the environment, your child grows up with

• Reduced use of pesticides that can decrease the negative impact on beneficial insects and other animal species.  Organic farming methods develops vigorous, fertile soils that are ecologically healthy and can grow wider ranges of crops.
• A reduction in the use of pesticides decreases the contamination of ground water and soils.

Because it’s better for the farmers

• More than 200 million pounds of pesticides were applied to the $3 billion worth of fruit and vegetables exported from Mexico to Canada and the US last year.  Farm workers are exposed to these pesticides and have significant health impacts as a result.

Think of it as an investment in your child’s future – it’s worth it.

Kalpna Solanki BSc MBA CPHI(C) is the President of BOBOBABY, a manufacturer of frozen organic baby food

Lawrence Mroz PhD(C) is the Nutritional Consultant for BOBOBABY

www.bobobaby.com

References:

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Volume 54, Number 5 (September 2003) 357 /371 Organic food: nutritious food or food for thought? A review of the evidence Faidon Magkos, Fotini Arvaniti and Antonis Zampelas 
Laboratory of Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and 
Dietetics, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Ave, 17671 Athens, Greece

www.soilassociation.org, Organic food for mothers and babies, Soil association, UK

www.pesticide.net, Pesticide News Brief, USA

www.askdrsears.com, Dr. William Sears, USA

www.drgreene.com, Dr. Alan Greene, USA

ORGANIC FOODS FOR YOUR BABY?
contributed by Sue Gilbert, MS Nutritionist

In my work as a nutritionist, parents often ask me if it is “worth it” to buy organic foods for their children.  My response is always a resounding “yes!”  There are several excellent reasons to feed organic food to your children. Some of these reasons were cited in a 1993 report published by The National Academy of Science entitled “Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children.” The report concluded that current government pesticide standards do not protect the health of children.

1. Babies’ bodies are much more vulnerable to pesticides because their brains, immune and detoxification systems are immature and in a state of development.
2. Pound for pound babies eat two to four times more vegetables and fruits than adults and so are exposed to a higher proportion of possible contaminants.
3. The health effects of chronic low level exposure to pesticide residues are still unknown.

A subsequent report released by the Environmental Working Group, “Pesticides in Children’s Food” concluded that the largest contribution to a person’s lifetime risk of cancer from pesticide residues occurs during childhood.

Organic foods are grown without the use of pesticides. Standards for safe pesticide use in foods have been based on adult tolerance levels. When selecting foods to feed your baby it makes sense to avoid foods with pesticides, since babies are far more vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides because of their small size and immature digestive and detoxification system.

Organic meat is meat derived from animals that have been raised on organic feed and have not been treated with hormones or antibiotics, the residues of which may end up in the meat.

Some important, more indirect reasons to feed your children organic food are the fact that it supports the growth of organic farming. This in turn helps protect the health of the environment. It will help to keep pesticides out of the earth and water supply and will help preserve the planet for them and their children.

Unfortunately, the cost of organic food is not yet competitive with conventionally grown foods. However, the long-term savings found in good health and a clean environment can more than offset this cost in the long run. Therefore, it’s worth the extra money to buy organic food, at least while your infant is still so little and vulnerable. Look at purchasing organic foods for your baby as a savings plan … an investment in your child’s health.

Sue Gilbert, MS, Nutritionist, works as a nutrition consultant for individuals and food enterprises. For many years she worked with Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and product development. She has written numerous articles on children’s health and nutrition for parenting publications.  Sue also works for iVillage.com, an internet site for women, where she has an extensive archive of nutrition based articles and answers questions of readers on her “Ask the Nutritionist” message board.http://www.ivillage.com/food/experts/nutrition/.

Organic farming helps prevent topsoil erosion, improves soil fertility, protects groundwater, and conserves energy.

There is evidence of drawbacks linked to current popular practices:

• Nearly 40 percent of the world’s agricultural land is seriously degraded, undermining both present and future production capacity, according to scientists at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Land degradation can have significant on- and off-site effects on income and environmental quality, and can take a number of forms, including soil nutrient depletion, agrochemical pollution, and soil erosion. 
  Sources: ”Land Degradation in the Developing World: Issues and Policy Options for 2020,” by Sara J. Scherr and Satya Yadav, in The Unfinished Agenda: Perspectives on Overcoming Hunger, Poverty and Environmental Degradation, International Food Policy Research Institute, 2001. Also, “Resources, Technology, and Public and Private Choices,” by Keith Wiebe, in Who Will Be Fed in the 21^st Century? Challenges for Science and Policy, International Food Policy Research Institute, 2001.
• In a study published in Science, scientists headed by University of Minnesota ecologist David Tilman concluded that continued expansion of the industrial farming model for the next few decades “has the potential to have massive, irreversible environmental impacts.” Extrapolating past trends in land, irrigation and agrochemical use and assuming a human population that is wealthier and 50 percent larger than currently, scientists predicted that in 50 years, there would be a 2.4 to 2.7-fold increase in nitrogen- and phosphorus-driven eutrophication of terrestrial, fresh water and near-shore marine ecosystems, seriously degrading biodiversity and fishery yields. The study also concluded that humans and other organisms would be exposed to markedly elevated levels of pesticides. 
  Source: Science, April 13, 2001, cited in WorldWatch, September/October 2001, page 8. 
• A global survey of groundwater pollution shows that a toxic brew of pesticides, nitrogen fertilizers, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals is fouling groundwater everywhere. “Groundwater contamination is an irreversible act that will deprive future generations of one of life’s basic resources,” according to Payal Sampat in a Worldwatch paper. Groundwater contamination is already widespread, from high levels of pesticides in wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley to excessive nitrates in groundwater in four northern Chinese provinces. The paper notes that in China’s Yunnan Province, farmers are trying to address the problem by eliminating the use of fungicides and planting more diverse varieties of the grain. 
  Source: ”Deep Trouble: The Hidden Threat of Groundwater Pollution,” by Payal Sampat, Worldwatch Paper 154, December 2000.

There is much evidence that organic can help counteract such detrimental effects:

• Reiterating the value of organic agriculture, a report from the July 2000 FAO Regional Conference for Europe pointed out that organic farming can help reduce ground and surface water contamination, and can safeguard drinking water supplies. 
  Source: ”Food Safety and Quality as Affected by Organic Farming,” 22^nd FAO Regional Conference for Europe, Porto, Portugal, July 24-28, 2000, Agenda Item 10.1.
• Organically grown crops use less fossil energy than conventional crops, according to findings from a 21-year field trial initiated by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Switzerland. Begun in 1978 in Therwil, Switzerland, the DOK trial compares the consequences of organic, biodynamic, and conventional farming systems in a randomized plot trial. 
  Source: FiBL Dossier: Organic farming enhances soil fertility and biodiversity, August 2000.
• Organic methods are as efficient, economical and financially competitive as conventional methods, and better for the soil and the environment, according to a report documenting findings from The Rodale Institute’s long-term Farming Systems Trial™ comparing crops under conventional and organic management. A report looking at the first 15 years of the trial shows that after a transitional period of about four years, crops grown under organic systems yield as well as, and sometimes better than, those grown conventionally. In years of drought, organic systems can actually out-produce conventional systems. In addition, organic systems showed significant ability to absorb and retain carbon, raising the possibility that agricultural practices might play a role in reducing the impact of global warming. 
  Source: The Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial™: The First 15 Years, by Cass Petersen, Laurie E. Drinkwater, and Peggy Wagoner, the Rodale Institute, 1999. 
• In Germany, several water utilities now pay farmers to switch to organic operations because such conversion costs less than removing farm chemicals used in conventional agriculture from water supplies. 
  Source: ”Deep Trouble: The Hidden Threat of Groundwater Pollution,” by Payal Sampat, Worldwatch Paper 154, December 2000.

Organic refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed.  It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity that begins on the farm.

Setting the stage for U.S. National organic standards, the U.S. Congress adopted the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990 as part of the 1990 Farm Bill. This action was followed by over a decade of public input and discussion, which resulted in a National Organic Program final rule published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in December 2000 and implemented in October 2002.

These stringent standards put in place a system to certify that specific practices are used to produce and process organic agricultural ingredients used for food and non-food purposes.

National organic standards set out the methods, practices and substances used in producing and handling crops, livestock and processed agricultural products. The standards include a national list of approved synthetic and prohibited non-synthetic substances for organic production. See http://www.ota.com/listbackground05.html for more details.

Organic production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. Organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic engineering and other excluded practices, sewage sludge, or irradiation. Cloning animals or using their products would be considered inconsistent with organic practices.  Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food.

National organic standards require that organic growers and handlers be certified by third-party state or private agencies or other organizations that are accredited by USDA. Although farmers and handlers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic agricultural products and retailers that do not process these products are exempt from certification, they must meet all certified organic grower and handler requirements to maintain the organic integrity of the organic products they sell. Anyone who knowingly sells or mislabels as organic a product that was not produced and handled in accordance with the regulations can be subject to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. 

Consumers can look for the “USDA Organic” seal or other approved labeling, and for the name of the certifier on the label of the products they consider for purchase. Products labeled “100% Organic” and carrying the “USDA Organic” seal are just that – they contain all organically produced ingredients.  Products that are made from at least 95% organic ingredients, and have remaining ingredients that are approved for use in organic products may also carry the “USDA Organic” seal.  In addition, products that contain at least 70% organic ingredients may label those on the ingredient listing.  Producers and processors voluntarily use these labels, and may use organic ingredients without being required to label them.

Organic products can be found in grocery stores, cooperatives, specialty stores, farmer’s markets, farm stands, online, in many restaurants, and many other outlets.

For more information from USDA on labeling and other issues go tohttp://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html.

This information is from www.ota.com.

“Going Green” can seem like a daunting task …

as it seems easier and easier in today’s world to be an environmental hazard… but here are a few tips that are easy and will get you started…

Green Tips from the Jacksonville Green Expo 

1. Eat fresh, buy local, support local growers

There is a growing demand for locally grown produce. Most of the local vegetables and fruits are always fresh and sometimes organically grown. Produce from out of state is usually delivered in trucks driven for hours and this in turn contributes to air pollution and carbon emission. We now have several  local farmers markets and community gardens in the areas of Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, Fernadina, St. Augustine areas, etc

2. Wash your clothes with cold water

An easy way to clean green is to turn the dial on your washing machine to cold. Most loads don’t need hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating.

3. Use a reusable bag for your everyday shopping
 

The latest green trend that is taking the grocery shopping frenzy is Re-usable bags. Forget adding to the 450 trillion plastic bags that are hardly decomposing on our beautiful soil.  Grab a reusable grocery bag instead and save the landfills. You can use the bag not just for groceries at your local supermarket or at the fresh market, but at the mall too!!!

4. Don’t dump, donate! 

The next time you upgrade something, can no longer stand the sight of something hideous, or simply need to downsize, think “donate” instead of “dump.”America has long been ridiculed around the world for being a throwaway society. On average, each one of us tosses out four and a half pounds of garbage every day, adding up to a whopping total of 245 million tons per year…

5. Use energy efficient bulbs

Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your most-used lights in your home or apartment. Even though the traditional light bulbs revolutionized the world in the 1880’s, they waste a lot of energy making heat. Today, we can do better. We now have energy-saving fluorescent bulbs which use a fraction of the electricity and in summer, since they do not burn as hot as traditional bulbs, they help to lower your cooling bills.

6. Get a free energy audit

Ask your utility company to conduct an energy audit to find out where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. The utility company energy techinician will come to your house for an inspection after which you will be offered cost-effective ideas designed to help lower your energy costs and to reduce wasted energy. While the technician is there, also ask for a free water management evaluation!!

7. Buy electronic equipments that are energy-efficient

As you replace home appliances, select the most energy efficient models. There’s no need of compromising on functionality to be more energy efficient. Many of the latest and most sophisticated consumer electronics carry the Energy Saving Star logo. This logo is a simple and quick way to find the most energy efficient products at your local electonics store You’ll find it on a wide range of products like kitchen appliances, washing machines, fridges, heating, lighting, televisions, etc.

8. Adjust your home’s A/c and water-heater thermostats

(a) Monitor the temperature in your home’s airconditioning system. Adjust your thermostat–lower in winter and higher in summer.

(b) Turn down your water heater thermostat; 120 degrees is usually sufficient. If it is possible, have it programmed to only heat the water an hour before you get into the shower, especially if you live by yourself.

9. Carpool to work

Car pooling, also known as lift-sharing or ride sharing, is a great way to save on transport costs and reduce your travel related environmental impact. Learn more about the advantages and how technology is changing the car pooling world. You don’t necessarily need to have a car to get involved! If yo do not want to carpool, please ride your bicycle or take a bus where possible.

10. Recycle all plastics, metal cans, glass and paper

Put all your plastics, glass  bottles and containers in separate recyle bins. Also do the same for used nespapers, magazines, etc. Don’t mix your regular trash like left over food, etc with the containers. Encourage your leasing office to have the Recycle pick up truck come by your house, condo or apartment at least once a week.

An article we found at womenofflorida.com discussing bringing baby home, and finding a green pediatrician

When Your Baby Comes Home: Choosing a Green Pediatrician

by Dr. Alan Greene, MD

Shortly after your labor and delivery, the mixed anxiety and joy of this life experience will be in your past, and it will be time to look forward to the future–to the time when your baby will live and grow in the protective environment that you will create in your home.

As you did when choosing an ob/gyn, you want to find a pediatrician who is top-notch medically. How much better if he or she is also on the journey to an environmentally sustainable perspective on pediatrics!

This may be the first time you have selected a pediatrician; if you already have children, you may have an established relationship with their pediatrician—or you may have inherited a treasured family doc from when you were a child. In any case, here are five representative questions you may want to ask politely to gauge physicians’ thoughts on things green:

1. What advice do you give to new parents about introducing solid foods? 

If their first suggestion is to begin with processed white rice flour cereal or processed conventional jarred foods, they may still be working from a twentieth-century industrial mind-set. To learn more, continue the conversation by asking for their advice about introducing whole grains, fresh tastes, or organic foods. Green pediatricians are often conscious of nutrition and care about establishing the nutritional habits of today’s babies in ways that are better than those of previous generations.

2. How do you recommend treating ear infections?

If they say that all ear infections should be treated with antibiotics, they may be behind the times. The now teaches that, in many situations, ear infections will heal better on their own, without antibiotics (but pain relief should be given for the ear pain). The first steps toward sustainability that pediatricians often make in their practices are to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

3. How do you recommend treating eczema in babies?

If their first response is to use steroids or prescription drugs, they may not yet be thinking green. Often, a better first approach is to reduce exposure to eczema triggers or to gently moisturize the skin. Green-oriented physicians are more likely to treat the cause rather than just the symptoms and will opt for the gentlest treatment possible.

4. What kind of baby shampoo do you recommend?

If they mention a conventional brand, they may not yet be thinking about sustainable and pure products. If they mention any of a number of greener options, such as Baby Avalon Organics, Burt’s Bees, or Tom’s of , that’s a good sign that they are at least aware of a variety of greener options for common baby products.

5. Do you buy organic foods for your own family?  

The answers to these types of questions will help you get a sense of their own green lifestyle outside the practice of medicine. Often physicians will start thinking about green issues for their own lives before they start integrating them into their practices. If they have made even small steps in this regard, they may be more supportive of your efforts to raise your baby green.

In addition to conversations with prospective pediatricians, you can also get some insight into the green potential of a medical practice by making an office visit simply to observe. What kind of lighting is used? (Incandescent bulbs are very non-green.) What kinds of cleaners are used? (A strong scent of bleach or ammonia is the tip-off that green cleansers are not yet in use.) Are there any babies in the waiting room who are wearing cloth or hybrid diapers? (This is a good sign that other parents with environmental concerns have chosen this doctor.)

And from the comfort of your home, you can learn a lot about some physicians and their practices by looking at their Web sites—many pediatricians have them now, but not all—and by talking to other parents.

About the author: Dr. Alan Greene, author ofRaising Baby Green, is a graduate of and the . In addition to being the founder ofwww.DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M. He is the Chair of The Organic Center and on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child Healthy World. Dr. Greene appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in print including appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine, and US Weekly. Dr. Greene is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at ’s Packard Children’s Hospital.

A very informative article that we found on NaturallySavvy.com, which is a great guide to natural & organic living:

HOW to Get Started

Here are some quick and easy tips on how to begin integrating natural and organic products into your life. Remember – we believe in taking “baby steps” when deciding to make any big changes. Even if you change one thing – just one – then you are already making a big difference in your life and your family’s life.

Begin by choosing one or two items that you consume a large quantity of on a regular basis, such as milk or eggs, and switch to a natural or organic brand. 

Produce: Wash your fruits and vegetables, organic or not, with “veggie wash” instead of plain water. This non-toxic soap helps to remove dirt, pesticides, insecticides, wax, bacteria and any other pollutants that may lurk on the skin’s surface. Fruit and veggie wash is tasteless and odorless. Look for a brand that is all-natural and environmentally safe. 

Plastic: Avoid freezing, microwaving and placing heated food and liquids into plastic containers. Whether or not plastic can leach bisphenol A (BPA) into the food and liquids at high temperatures has been debated for years. In 1998, a professor at the University of Missouri said the amount of BPA a person is exposed to throughout your life can have a direct impact on breast cancer (there are over one hundred published studies confirming his findings). However, The American Plastics Council disagrees. We recommend living on the side of caution. So what can you do?

• Choose plastics that are not known to leach such as: 5PP, 4HDPE and 2HDPE - look for these symbols on the bottom of the containers (in a triangle).
• Store left over food in glass containers.
• For moms with babies/infants try using glass bottles instead of plastic. They are available at most baby stores (I bought mine at Toys R Us). Word of caution: Once your kids are old enough to throw their bottles, change to sippy cups (or interim plastic bottles) because they are very messy when they break – I (Andrea) know because my husband and I cleaned up many messes of our own).
• Use silicone nipples instead of the rubber (yellow) ones for both the glass bottles (sold separately) and pacifiers.
• For breastfeeding moms, freeze your milk in sterilized glass baby jars or glass bottles instead of plastic (pumping) bags.
• If you are using plastic bottles, warm up the milk in a glass jar/container and then transfer it once it is cooled down. Although tedious, at least you aren’t heating it in plastic (where it may leach).
• If the plastic bottle you’re using doesn’t have a number at the bottom of it, email or call the manufacturer to ask them. The company should be able to tell you they type of plastic used to make the bottle. Chances are, if it doesn’t have a number, it probably isn’t #2, #4 or #5. We emailed a baby bottle company ourselves and the manufacturer didn’t give us a direct answer, so we avoided that brand entirely.
• If you are using plastic bottles, change them often as the older they are (and the more scratches they have), the more likely they may leach into the liquid.

Baking: Next time you’re preparing to bake your favorite homemade cookies, try lining your baking sheet with parchment paper instead of aluminum foil. Aluminum foil may be absorbed into your food when heated. Although the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease remains unclear, use the less controversial alternative until the results are in. 

Cleaning: When you run out of a regular cleaning product, switch to a natural alternative. There are a variety of cleaning products available today that work as well as their chemical-laden counterparts, without the toxic (and stinky) fumes. In the meantime, minimize the amount of chemicals you inhale in your home by increasing your air circulation. Place green plants around your house and open up your windows for at least fifteen minutes a day to circulate the air.

Candles: Trade in your paraffin candles for soot and lead free varieties. These healthier, more natural alternatives, made from soy, palm oil and beeswax burn 25% longer than regular candles, and emit much less chemicals into your home and the environment.

Cookware: Replace your Teflon pots and pans with stainless steel, cast-iron, glass or ceramic cookware. Teflon contains a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, that releases toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures. Because PFOA is continually present in the bloodstream of the general U.S. population and the environment, the EPA has launched an investigation into whether or not it is carcinogenic in humans.

Health Shows: Take the time to visit a Health & Wellness show, expo or festival. There you can learn more about natural products and services by speaking directly to the people offering them. Consumer shows are a great place to ask questions, sample products and services and purchase items you may have never heard of or tried before. 

Nutritionist: Consider consulting with a Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN). Their philosophy embraces a holistic approach to food, nutrition and health. A CCN can teach you how to make long-lasting lifestyle changes by providing you with all-natural nutritional alternatives. Their governing body, The International & American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists can help you locate a Nutritionist in your area. Visit: www.iaacn.org for more information.

(1)Frederick vom Saal, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, reported in a 1998 interview.

Why Buy Organic Dairy Products?
an article retrieved from the OTA Organic Pages

A Whole Systems Approach
WHEN YOU PURCHASE a pound of butter or a quart of yogurt labeled as USDA Organic, you’re getting a healthful, premium product that you can feel good about serving to your family. But you’re also supporting a system of agriculture that is environmentally sound, and which assures the health and future productivity of both animals and land.

A gallon of certified organic milk reflects the farm on which it was produced. The dairy cows on that farm were:

• Fed organic feed raised on land certified as meeting national organic growing standards;
• Raised in conditions which limit stress and promote health;
• Cared for as individuals by dairy professionals who value animal health;
• Not given routine treatments of antibiotics or growth hormones.

WHEN YOU PURCHASE an organic product, you’re supporting organic agriculture, a production method which strives to maintain biological diversity while replenishing soil fertility and eliminating the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Because the husbandry practices used by organic farmers require a level of attentiveness and care incompatible with industrialized dairy operations, you’re also supporting farmers who work with the health of their animals in mind.

Organic Certification
ORGANIC GROWING AND PROCESSING methods for products sold in the United States are regulated by national organic standards, fully implemented since October 2002. In Canada, national standards currently are voluntary, although work is under way for a mandatory regulation. Third-party certification of organic farms guarantees that any product that is labeled as “organic” in the United States meets or exceeds these stringent criteria:

• No prohibited substances have been used on the land for at least three years.
• Detailed records have been kept of the methods and materials used in production.
• All methods and materials have been inspected annually by a third-party certifier accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• All farmers and processors have maintained written Organic Plans detailing their management practices.

You’re supporting farmers who work with the health of the earth in mind
FOR ORGANIC DAIRY FARMERS, certification requirements include very specific standards addressing the introduction of new animals to a herd, veterinary practices, and housing and grazing. Even the handling of manure on an organic farm is regulated to ensure that run-off is not polluting aquifers or waterways. Organic standards also cover processing and packaging of the final product.

A Diversity of Products
ORGANIC DAIRY is a fast-growing segment of the organic food industry. Overall, the organic market for organic dairy products has shown a growth rate of 20-30 percent over the past few years. An increase in the number of organic processing facilities has contributed to a greater variety of organic products to choose from in the marketplace.

Today, certified organic dairy products include:

• Organic milk
• Organic cream
• Organic half ‘n half
• Organic cheeses and spreads
• Organic butter
• Organic powdered milk and cheese
• Organic ice cream
• Organic buttermilk
• Organic yogurt.

ORGANIC DAIRY products are also used as ingredients in a diverse array of products, such as organic frozen and convenience foods, organic chocolate bars and organic baby food.

When you buy certified organic products…
YOU’RE SUPPORTING organic farmers who practice environmentally sound methods on crop and pasture lands, in the handling and health care of farm animals, and in the handling of the produce or minimally processed dairy product that finds its way to your table.

YOU’RE SUPPORTING organic processors who follow stringent standards in handling and processing the organic ingredients that go into the finished products and convenience foods that make your life easier.

THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY is growing because organic is a better way to grow. Support organic farmers and processors whenever you can by purchasing organic foods carrying the USDA Organic label.

To learn more about organic production and the organic business community, visit www.ota.com.
Ask for organic dairy products wherever you buy milk, cream, yogurt, ice cream and other products with dairy ingredients:
 Natural food stores
 Health food stores
 Supermarkets
 Convenience stores
 Restaurants
 Cafeterias
If the store or restaurant doesn’t offer organic products, your inquiry may put organic dairy items on the shelf or on the menu.

As a health conscious expectant mother, you safeguarded your baby by meticulously monitoring your intake during pregnancy. You made every attempt to ensure a healthy and safe beginning for your little one. Now that he or she is here, that same discernment should be used when feeding your child from its infancy to its dietary independence. The benefits of organic food choices have been widely touted in recent years; but with the higher price tag, many families wonder if organic foods are necessary.

Parents are taught to limit variety within the diets of our little ones, making it imperative to be selective when choosing the components. Our children’s smaller statures and narrowed food selection increase the effects of the ingredients they consume. Choosing non-organic foods contaminated by pesticides can result in overexposure to theses dangerous substances. Infants’ developing organ systems are unequipped to process high levels of such toxins and can increase the circulation time of these toxins within their bodies.

During their early years, essential vitamins and nutrients are crucial as growth rates skyrocket and susceptibility to developmental damage is heightened. Organic foods reportedly contain higher vitamin content than non-organically grown alternatives. When choosing organic, not only are you helping to prevent possible developmental issues and aid in healthy growth, but you are also setting a precedent and instilling the importance of healthy eating right from the beginning.

So, while it may seem like the more budget-friendly option to skimp on organic foods and opt for processed items, the higher price tag may be worth it. An investment into your child’s health is sure to translate to an investment into your child’s future; one that allows you to encourage early on the importance of food safety and healthy eating habits.