Milk without palm oil?
March 10, 2021 6:47 AM Subscribe
How do I buy milk (& milk products) from cows that have not been fed palm oil in Ontario, Canada?
Palm oil, argh. I hate palm oil. I am incredibly irritated to find out that it's being used as a cow feed supplement (mostly because of the environmental aspects, but also because it's an ingredient that just makes food worse whenever it's used.)
But given the milk cartel here, I have no idea how to go about finding this. Would organic milk cut it? I don't even know, and don't know how to go about finding the answer to that question.
NB I am also trying out some non-dairy milks. This is not a question about that.
Palm oil, argh. I hate palm oil. I am incredibly irritated to find out that it's being used as a cow feed supplement (mostly because of the environmental aspects, but also because it's an ingredient that just makes food worse whenever it's used.)
But given the milk cartel here, I have no idea how to go about finding this. Would organic milk cut it? I don't even know, and don't know how to go about finding the answer to that question.
NB I am also trying out some non-dairy milks. This is not a question about that.
I lived for years on an organic dairy farm in eastern Ontario, and as a farm organizer I work closely with many organic dairy farmers in the province.
None of them feed their cows palm oil. So organic milk would be an easy and guaranteed way to avoid palm oil.
Aside from obvious ethical considerations, organic dairy farmers don't use palm oil as a supplement because they would have to use a specific kind of certified organic palm oil which would be horrendously expensive. You can learn more in this very up-to-date FAQ released last week by the Organic Council of Ontario.
Organic Meadow is a reliable organic dairy brand in Ontario; they have high standards for organic practices and animal welfare. You can get it across the province.
If you live in some parts of Eastern Ontario, you might have access to local dairies like Limestone Organic Creamery. I know them personally and trust their quality and practices.
posted by mcbaya at 7:23 AM on March 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
None of them feed their cows palm oil. So organic milk would be an easy and guaranteed way to avoid palm oil.
Aside from obvious ethical considerations, organic dairy farmers don't use palm oil as a supplement because they would have to use a specific kind of certified organic palm oil which would be horrendously expensive. You can learn more in this very up-to-date FAQ released last week by the Organic Council of Ontario.
Organic Meadow is a reliable organic dairy brand in Ontario; they have high standards for organic practices and animal welfare. You can get it across the province.
If you live in some parts of Eastern Ontario, you might have access to local dairies like Limestone Organic Creamery. I know them personally and trust their quality and practices.
posted by mcbaya at 7:23 AM on March 10, 2021 [7 favorites]
What from I read, cows are not fed palm oil directly, but instead, a palm-oil derivative known as palmitic acid (it's a fatty acid). The bacteria in cow's stomaches cannot process the oil and indeed would upset their stomach.
But the quickest way to screen out ANY palm oil in the food stream would be to choose organic milk, as there is no certified palmitic acid feed supplement that Organic Council of Canada can find.
posted by kschang at 10:20 AM on March 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
But the quickest way to screen out ANY palm oil in the food stream would be to choose organic milk, as there is no certified palmitic acid feed supplement that Organic Council of Canada can find.
OCO could...not find any organic palm-based dairy fat supplements on the market.More details from the Organic Council article regarding "ButterGate"
posted by kschang at 10:20 AM on March 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
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https://www.freshcityfarms.com/blogs/how-we-source-our-dairy-products
That should give you a start.
posted by TORunner at 6:54 AM on March 10, 2021