The Truth about Milk
Whats does it really mean?
Pasteurisation - When a food item, like milk, is heated to 72 Celsius for a minimum of 15 seconds to kill any harmful bacteria it may contain.
Homogenisation - When milk was sold in bottles the cream would separate and float to the top. My grandad used to use the cream for his morning porridge. Today milk is now processed under high pressure to combine the two together.
So basically it's just a big word that means mixed together.
Skimmed milk - Is made by removing the cream that separates from the milk, rather than mixing them together.
Semi-skimmed milk - Only half the cream is removed from the milk.
Nutrition
- Vitamins A and D need to re-added to skimmed and semi skimmed milk as these are lost when the cream is removed.
- There are competing arguments over whether skimmed milk is healthier or not. Some feel you do not get the same nutritional value, however many producers fortify their milk to ensure it contains the same amount of vitamins and minerals.
Ethical Dilemma of milk
ADULT FEMALES
It's not something that people usually think about when pick up a pint of milk. Most people seem to believe that female cows just produce milk all the time, in the same way that hens always produce eggs. It's something we all take for granted However this is not true, just like humans adult female cows only produce milk when they are pregnant. Today's cows have been selectively breed to produce more milk.
We all have this fantasy farm in our head, where all the calves stay with their mother and are only separated at milking time.
Their calves are usually removed 24hrs after they are born. Cows are a social animal, removing their calves can cause them distress. The adult female 2 - 3 months later are then artificially inseminated again. This is to ensure they keep producing milk. Like humans it they are pregnant for 9 months.
Dairy cows are referred to as the hardest worked animal in farming, and are usually worn down by 5 years of age. In comparison a domestic cow can live for up to 20 yrs.
The Ethical Consumer highlights the different animal welfare in organic farming, where the calves our weaned on natural milk preferable maternal milk for up to 3 months.
In comparison a normal domestic calves would feed from their mothers for up to 9 months.
Only the female calves are needed by dairy farmers, leaving the dilemma of the male calves. Dairy cows are bred for milk production not meat, so some farmers consider the males calves as useless.
MALE CALVES
"Male dairy calves not used for beef or breeding are sometimes shot soon after birth, as they are not considered to have any economic value. This raises a difficult ethical issue because of their short lives. However, it shouldn’t be an animal welfare problem, providing the calves are handled carefully and killed humanely. We are also concerned if after birth they are given suitable care and colostrum (first milk)." source Rspca
Some male calves are kept for breeding purposes. The bulls are usually allowed a few females, while the rest of his sperm is taken for artificial insemination. Some farmers raise the rest for beef.
Veal
Veal a very controversial, as many animal rights activists see it as being cruel.
Veal is meat from young calves, that are slaughtered when they are about six months old. It suffered an image problem for many years because of ethical concerns about the European white veal industry. However, British rosé veal (veal produced to the highest welfare standards) is a natural by-product of the dairy industry. It has pink, not white, flesh and is tender and delicately flavoured. Cuts include mince, escalopes, rib chops, T-bone, and shoulder.
www.bbc.co.uk
" Eating meat; fish and dairy causes environmental destruction, damages human health, contributes to global hunger and inflicts immense suffering on billions of animals across the world"
Some male calves are kept for breeding purposes. The bulls are usually allowed a few females, while the rest of his sperm is taken for artificial insemination. Some farmers raise the rest for beef.
Veal
Veal a very controversial, as many animal rights activists see it as being cruel.
Veal is meat from young calves, that are slaughtered when they are about six months old. It suffered an image problem for many years because of ethical concerns about the European white veal industry. However, British rosé veal (veal produced to the highest welfare standards) is a natural by-product of the dairy industry. It has pink, not white, flesh and is tender and delicately flavoured. Cuts include mince, escalopes, rib chops, T-bone, and shoulder.
www.bbc.co.uk
It should be noted that animal welfare is higher in the UK is than Europe. Over and above EU laws and regulations for the industry. Veal is a more popular meat in mainland Europe, unlike the UK. - Compassion in World farming
The dilemma is deciding what's more humane. Killing them at birth or raising them for veal.
Environment
" Eating meat; fish and dairy causes environmental destruction, damages human health, contributes to global hunger and inflicts immense suffering on billions of animals across the world"
Vegans have been the main animal welfare protesters, against the milk industry. However due to climate change there is now a new base more environmentally concerned about the side effects of the industry.
The rise in people switching to dairy free milk has also caused some environmental concerns. Soy milk production as been linked to deforestation and human rights violations. Indigenous people removed from their own land to make way for farm land. The production process also uses large amount of electricity.
As someone that is lactose intolerant, I like to make sure the food I eat and drink is from a sustainable source. The palm oil industry has already shown how a vegetarian product has a negative impact on local environment and native animals. Many now on the endangered list. You can't assume that a vegetable based product hasn't caused animal cruelty.
As someone who has had IBS for over 20 years now, I have learned that it is important to know what's in our food, where it's produced and which country it is made. It's only by knowing this information that we can make an educated decision about the food we eat.
- What's in our foods. Read the ingredient label to make sure it safe for you to eat.
- How it's produced. Has it been made in a free from environment. Is it free range, or have an animal welfare maker.
- Where it's made. Is it locally grown. Were the ingredients imported from another country. Made in the UK doesn't mean the ingredients came from the UK.
Extra resources
- The Dairy Council - 90yr history of Dairy council
- This is Dairy Farming - Red tractor sign is now used to indicate higher quality and animal welfare.
- World Milk Day - A useful page to see the health benefits of milk.
- Daily Mail article - Article on animal welfare in M&S Dairy farms.
- White lies Viva is a registered charity In there own words
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