Organic Milk: Attitudes and Consumption Patterns

Attention Getter: Do you know that after a certain age dairy milk and products will no longer benefit you?

Statistics show that milk consumption is on the rise in the United States since the

of every community. The dairy and cattle industries have been around since the beginning of time and are vital to society and has grown immensely. Farmers and ranchers now use inventions and special breeds of cows to produce the best and highest quality beef and milk. In this paper there are many facts that show how the dairy industry grow. Many things have caused the dairy industry to boom but there are three main points are needed to understand the boom. In order to understand how the boom of the cattle and dairy industry one needs to understand the inventions, the demand for dairy products and the diversity in the industry.

In 1990, there were over 9300 dairy farms in Ontario housing almost 450,000 cows. The farm-gate value of milk produced exceeded 1.3 billion dollars. At the retail level, dairy product sales in Ontario exceeded 4 billion dollars. The number of dairy herds in Ontario on a milk-testing program had declined from about 7100 in 1985 to 6000 in 1990. Moreover, a continued decrease was projected.

The demographic, economic and the socio-cultural segments would be the most relevant segments to Whole Foods Market. These segments have a direct impact on the profitability, sustainability and survivability of Whole Foods Market, and the organic food industry. The relevance of the demographic segment stems from the fact that the age structure, income distribution and population size are important factors which will influence the demand for organic products. The economic segment is relevant, as an affluent population will continue to drive and sustain demand for organic products. The socio-cultural segment is another relevant segment, where attitudes about quality of life,

Over the last few years, awareness of organic food has risen. Due to this, the demand for organic food is a factor which is influencing the farmers to switch to use this technique, and it is being sold in specialty stores and conventional supermarkets. Organic products contain numerous marketing claims that it is healthier, it offers more value, and the farming is more environmentally friendly than traditional foods, so, how does one determine if organic is the way to go? Some argue that there is evidence that supports and demonstrates why organic foods and farming are better overall, while others insist that conventional foods and agriculture can offer the same benefits as going organic. There is no right or wrong answer. Within this

Present data on the trends in the sales of all milk to adults over the last 10 years, as this indicates the size of the adult milk market.

Over the years, healthy, safe, nutritious, and essential milk has increased as a focus of safer and healthier foods in the public health industry2. Today, health Canada distinguishes that a safer and healthier milk is a major

The other thing that we should consider before using dairy products is from the ethical point of view. Drinking cow’s milk or consuming any dairy product is equal to torturing thousands of cows, due to changing their nature and way of living in order to make them useable for ourselves. It has become evident that milk is not the only source and product that we can reach vitamins, proteins and calcium from, in fact there are many natural and healthy products that we can reach out those factors that we are looking for it in milk, for instance fruits. Contrary to common belief, people should stop consuming milk because it is unhealthy, unnatural and unethical.

It is on the myplate as a needed food item which is endorsed by the U.S. government. (“Choose MyPlate”) Milk is promoted because calcium can reduce the risk of getting osteoporosis. The truth is that calcium from milk is barely absorbed in the bones. The amount of people with osteoporosis in the U.S. rose from 10 million in 2002 to 12 million in 2010 and is expected to be more than 14 million by 2020. (“Facts and Statistics”) In a report done on whether three servings of milk a day was an evidence based recommendation it provides evidence against milk being good and nutritious. This report was done by two medical doctors who each had Phds from the Harvard School of Public Health. They explained how the milk everyday was promoted because of the sugar content in milk that got kids to drink it. They also explained how humans have no nutritional requirement from milk and countries that do not consume milk have a much lower bone fracture rate than countries that do consume milk. They also provide results from a meta-analysis that showed that milk consumption had no benefit for bone protection in adults. A meta-analysis is a combined report of multiple scientific studies. (Ludwig) Green vegetables such as kale provide just as much calcium as milk and this calcium is better absorbed by bones. Three cups of kale provide the same amount of calcium as one cup of cow's milk without the added fat and cholesterol adding in vitamin a and e. Oranges have about the same amount of calcium as kale and oranges have vitamin c which helps the immune system. Given that three cups is a lot one cup of soy milk has the same amount of calcium as cow's milk and only one ounce of sesame seeds have the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk. That is just one spoonful of seeds that also gives iron and omega-3 fatty acids which are both nutritional requirements. cow's milk is clearly very

providing a theoretical lens through which to examine consumers’ underlying considerations to purchase organic food. It is

Dairy Farmers was established in 1900 (Dairy Farmers, 2006a). It is one of Australia’s oldest food and beverage companies. It is presently headquartered in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It is also the owner of the popular and award winning OAK brand name. According to company reports, it was originally assigned the responsibility of ensuring the freshness and quality of farmers’ produce when they reached city markets and consumers (Dairy Farmers, 2006a). However, it has grown over the years to become a major and dominant player in Australia, with a turnover of over 1.3 Australian dollars. The company obtains its milk from its own cooperative, made up of thousands of dairy farmers. These farmers are shareholders of the company. Dairy farmers also supplies both fresh and processed products the local as well as export markets. The company is reputed for its product excellence, having won a tall list of awards during its existence. In the words of the company it is “committed to using only the best and freshest ingredients, and to providing our customers with

Dairy farming is one of the most important sectors of Canadian agriculture. It is ranked in third place after grains and beef. The country´s 12.234 farms recorded total farm revenue of $5.92 billion in 2013. The 474 dairy plants located all over the country had estimated sales of $15.7 billion in 2013, accounting for the 16% of the value of manufactured shipments of food and beverages (Statics of the Canadian Dairy Industry 2014 Edition, 2014).

More milk is exactly what the United States doesn't need. The slightest increase in milk production can lead to a drastic decline in milk prices. "In 1990-1991, a 3% increase in milk production led to a 35% decline in dairy prices" (Atwater). Declines such as these really

In the business of dairy farming, there are two key drivers: quality of milk and the health of the cows. On large, industrialized dairy