The biggest different many consumers note regarding organic and non-organic milk is the expiration date. Organic milk is able to sit for long stretches of time and for those used to having less than a week to consume their milk, this is quite a mystery. But there are many other differences between traditional and organic milk including the vitamin count and levels of toxins.

Milk and Contaminants

When you drink milk, you're consuming one of the healthiest foods for your body with calcium, protein and plenty of other vitamins that can ensure good health. Unfortunately, in most cases, you're consuming at least two types of pesticides arising from the feed consume by the cows, possibly strong antibiotics used to treat the animals and genetically modified hormones used to accelerate the growth of the animals.

When you purchase organic milk, however, you are not buying these contaminants. Organic milk contains only its natural goodness as the animals raised to produce the milk are fed with organic feed consisting of pesticide free plants and grains. They are never given antibiotics or hormones. The treatment of the animals including medical procedures and feed are carefully documented by the organic certified farm and the cow used in the milk production must be intensely documented from the time it arrived on the dairy farm, preferably from before its birth.

Vitamins and Nutrients

In most cases, organic food is equitable in nutritional value to the non-organic varieties. In the case of milk, however, there are increased vitamins and nutrients in organic milk versus traditional milk. This was observed in the same USDA study that found an average of 2.5 accounts of pesticide residue in every samples of regular milk tested. The protein and vitamins are higher in the organic milk and this can only be attributed to the ultra pasteurization process, or more likely the higher quality diet of the organic cows.

The Shelf Life of Organic Milk

Raw milk, that is milk that is not pasteurized, spoils very quickly due to high counts of bacteria. When you pasteurize milk, as both traditional and organic milk are, a flash heating occurs which helps to eliminate bacteria and extend the shelf life of the milk. Organic milk is ultrapasteurized meaning it is flash heated for a shorter time and at a higher temperature. This process allows the milk to keep for an even longer period of time while retaining its nutritional value.

There are some that claim the process of ultrapasteurization reduces nutrients and calcium that are normally left behind after the typical pasteurization period. Studies have found evidence to support both sides of the argument, but by comparing labels and reading the extent of the studies, particularly the large ones performed by the USDA, will give you assurances that organic milk is healthier and much safer for consumption than standard milk.