Perfect score milk
Stewart's won the gold medal for fluid milk at this year's New York State Fair. The local chain's milk was awarded a perfect score> -- 100 -- in the competition that uses criteria including bacteria counts, flavor, and butterfat content.
The competition is coordinated by Cornell and has been going on annually since 1997. In that time, Stewart's has taken the gold three other times -- including another perfect score in 2007. Only four perfect scores have ever been awarded, according to the chain -- and now Stewart's has two of them.
Stewart's gets its milk from 30-40 dairy farms in the greater Capital Region and processes it at a plant in Greenfield. The chain says the time from dairy farm to store shelf is usually less than 48 hours or less.
Battenkill
Also in the competition's top 5: Battenkill Valley Creamery, from Washington County, whose milk scored an 86.7. (It won the competition in 2010).
Old Chatham Sheepherding Co.
Monday was dairy day at the fair and the winners of a whole range of dairy categories were announced, including cheese. Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. in Columbia County took both the gold and silver in the "Cheese from Milk Other Than Cows Milk" category for its camembert and Kindehook Soft Ripened, respectively. And Old Chatham's camembert was named the grand champion of the dairy competition.
screengrab: Stewart's
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Comments
Is their milk organic? What do their farmers feed their cows? Are the cows pasteurized or locked in a barn all day just standing in a stall? Can the public visit the farms?
Why doesn't the public ask or care about these items as well as taste?
... said J on Aug 27, 2013 at 3:04 PM | link
Because the reality of farming and producing food for millions upon millions of people is that your precious organic requirements are, by and large, LUXURY GOODS.
A working class family doesn't have the LUXURY to spend twice as much on organic milk because you believe it to be "healthier." Considering numerous studies have indicated that "organic" food is no healthier for you than "non-organic," all you're paying extra for is that warm, fuzzy, feel-good tickle you get when you make your purchase.
If we can have great-tasting, inexpensive milk that everyone can purchase, I call that a win for society.
... said J2 on Aug 27, 2013 at 3:52 PM | link
Ouch! That doesn't sound too biased, J2.
Welp, based on the FACT that certified organic milk has more of what I can identify in it, and less of what I or my kids don't need, and that the cows were treated humanely, I'll pay the premium. And I'll continue to advocate for it with the hope that its popularity will grow and the price difference moderate.
C.
... said ChuckD on Aug 27, 2013 at 4:10 PM | link
I'll take Stewart's in a pinch, but give me Meadow Brook Farms any day of the week (well, at least Mondays, when they deliver wonderful milk and cream to me). :)
... said caravan70 on Aug 27, 2013 at 4:36 PM | link
I also wonder about Stewart's cow handling conditions, and what their diet is. I don't think it's too much to ask where your food comes from, or how it's treated. I do love me some Stewart's.
For some folks, taste is all that matters, and I can definitely agree that it's a huge part of why we (as humans) have our own taste preferences.
Isn't milk somewhat controlled/regulated by the USDA (or some other agency) in the US? I thought milk prices were stabilized at certain floor prices and couldn't be any lower than X amount.
... said Albany Jane on Aug 27, 2013 at 4:43 PM | link
@Chuck D - "Humanely" is a weighted word. The dairy farmers who produce conventional dairy would swear on a stack of bibles that they treat their cows humanely. Treating cows inhumanely is against the law.
But I suspect you are referring to cows that are locked up in a barn their whole lives and never get to go outside and eat fresh grass like God intended.
And I hear you. I'm on your side. Those are the kinds of cows that I want producing my family's milk, cheese, butter and ice cream too.
However, organic probably isn't the answer. Maybe it was in the 1970s, but not today.
Today, thanks to the year over year growth in revenues of organic food, big factory farms and multinational conglomerates have taken over the vast majority of the organic food business.
That carton of organic milk most likely comes from sad cows that live their lives indoors, being fed a relatively cheap feed made from organic soy and corn.
Is it better than the conventional product? Slightly.
Is it worth the cost premium? For me it is. Mostly because marginal improvements are still improvements.
But when I can't get out to Trader Joe's for the non-ultrapasteurized organic milk, I'm popping into Stewart's.
Also, remember this: just because a farm is small, local, and raises some of their own feed, that doesn't mean they aren't supplementing it with GMO corn. There are small high-quality dairy operations around here who do this.
It's a great idea to prioritize the things that are important to you when making food purchases. Just make sure to get the facts and to not fall for the marketing.
... said Daniel B. on Aug 27, 2013 at 9:29 PM | link
Depends on how you look at organic. in a lot of areas it isn't "healthier" for you, but it may offer things that aren't looked at. Personally, I rarely drink commercial milk, preferring to buy raw milk from local farms (who also supply Stewarts in some cases). Commercial dairy has a lot of issues downstream of the farm, including denaturing of the proteins via UHT pasteurization.
As far as organic, pasture raised, grass-fed cow milk is higher in CLA, Omega -3, Vitamin D and Vitamin K. So while it may have equal protein and fat and sugar, it's better for you, the cow, the farm, the environment and ultimately your wallet. You do realize a pasture raised cow is greenhouse gas neutral and also adds nutrients to the soil? your wallet might not care today, but long term sustainable farming will cost less. on the flip side, grain fed feed lot cows use much more resources and require antibiotics as standard practice, they also have unfavorable fatty acid ratios from the grains.
Another one is eggs,. Pasture raised eggs offer 9X the nutrient density of factory farmed or cage free grain fed eggs... so when I spend $5 for a dozen, or about 2.5x the cost of regular eggs, I get 9X more nutrients.
Finally, it's BS about organic or at least sustainable agriculture being for rich people. Fact is if you have $100 a month for cable, or a few Starbucks a week, or eat out a few times a month, you have the income to cover the cost of better food. it's all about priorities. If it isn't a priority for you, that is fine but don't assume you have to be rich to not prioritize food quality.
in the last 30 years we went from spending 18% of our capita income on food to 9%, meanwhile health-care cost went from 9% to 18%...that should tell you that when we stopped caring about food, health decreased. IMO, those scraping by have more to gain by improving health through higher quality food.
... said MtnFit on Aug 28, 2013 at 4:56 AM | link
Right on, MtnFit !!! I'm so sick of hearing that healthy eating (whether organic or just natural food) is only for the affluent.. Except for instances of true "food deserts" where such food is simply not available, there are plenty of ways to eat healthy on a low income. Start with reducing meat in your diet. That alone could allow a lower income family to buy some organic products, but also more fresh fruit and vegetables. And whole grains and legumes are cheap.
Americans spend a far smaller percentage of their income on food than other countries. "Mother Jones" reported that Americans spend 6% of their income on food while the French spend 14%, Brazilians spend 25%, and Indians spend 35%. But Americans whine all the time when milk goes up a few pennies.
... said chrisck on Aug 28, 2013 at 8:48 AM | link
There is nothing more fun than lecturing people on how they should spend their money to fit in with your values.
... said Carl on Aug 28, 2013 at 10:20 AM | link
I'm not sure if they still do this or not, but for a long time a list of the farms that supply milk to Stewarts was on the back of each and every 1/2 gallon carton of milk. One of these farms is O.A. Borden & Sons in Easton where my family & i buy our apples each fall. Wonderful people there, i'm sure they would be happy to answer any questions you may have about their operation.
... said julie on Aug 28, 2013 at 10:47 AM | link
Was this for their whole milk? Hard to tell from any of the links. I'm a Stewart's fan but was majorly turned off when I saw that their skim milk had powdered milk listed as an ingredient. Recently we do Meadowbrook's whole milk, which tastes amazingly pure. I'm always happy to see Stewart's get some props, though!
... said Nicole on Aug 28, 2013 at 3:08 PM | link
Here's a great look at Meadow Brook Farms from a few years back, by the way (hope the link is acceptable here). You can judge for yourself whether you like the way the cows are treated or the milk is handled.
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500202_162-2546861.html
... said caravan70 on Aug 28, 2013 at 3:09 PM | link
Just wanted to add that I hope that last comment wasn't ambiguous... Meadow Brook delivers the best milk I've ever tasted, and they're a true pleasure to deal with.
... said caravan70 on Aug 28, 2013 at 3:11 PM | link
Are the cows pasteurized
... said J on Aug 27, 2013 at 3:04 PM | link
Ahahahaha! Poor cows!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization
... said Lu on Aug 28, 2013 at 3:14 PM | link
pssst... http://whereismymilkfrom.com/
Stop The Madness!!!
... said Captain Obvious on Aug 28, 2013 at 4:42 PM | link
just an FYI, skin milk is almost always milk solids, you should search how skin is made, but basically it is a waste product that had been repurposed, like seed oils (Google how either are made).
... said MtnFit on Aug 29, 2013 at 12:27 AM | link
a little on how skin milk is made... a very industrial process, that in the old days was used to fatten pigs... now humans drink it, go figure.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/03/29/why-skim-milk-isnt-necessarily-better/
... said MtnFit on Aug 29, 2013 at 12:31 AM | link