Misleading us on Milk?

It's essential that consumers are given accurate information about the products they buy, in order to make informed purchasing decisions. This information is conveyed by the retailer via labels and advertising.  

Fair Cape Free RangeTM - sold at Checkers and Spar

Upon visiting Fair Cape last year, one consumer discovered that cows were  in fact not free-range as we commonly know it. The words "free-range", "graze" and "pasture" were used on the bottle, while Fair Cape cows live in barns for most of their life. 

(See http://squaringgreencircles.blogspot.com/ for full story).  

Fair Cape replied “We did not call the milk “Free Range”, we called it “Fair Cape Free Range”, which is Fair Cape’s own take on free range." 

Woolworths Ayrshire Fresh Milk

The label says: “Woolworths assures you that…we prefer contented cows that produce farm-fresh milk, as nature intended.”

An advert in The Taste Magazine says: 

Woolworths is committed to bringing you the best in everything. Like our exclusive Ayrshire milk...

Ayrshire herds…spend their days in tranquil green pastures with access to plenty of good food and fresh, clean water.
Watch the advert http://www.tastemag.co.za/Puttingback-114/Why-we-love-Ayrshire-milk.aspx

The reality is:
The Woolworths Ayrshire milk comes from 38 herds –
At 23 farms the cows spend “most of their life in a barn or shed”
At 15 farms the cows spend “most of their life in pasture”

Woolworths Organic Milk

Woolworths says: “Organic livestock are fed a diet consisting of certified organic feed, accommodated in a free-range manner with free access to the outdoors and treated only with approved homoeopathic remedies.”

The milk bottle itself says “Produced from cows that roam freely and graze in organic pastures.”

The reality is:
In the Western Cape cows that produce Woolworths Organic milk are pasture fed most of the time but inland, they are fed in barns most of the time.

Other choices for milk?

Seek out your local farmers market or contact some small farms (where they pasture raise their cows) and make an effort to support sustainable, ethical milk production.

How we think cows should be raised...

Concerned consumes poll & eLabel

Check out the poll on Concerned Consumers regarding milk advertising in South Africa.

Also, visit eLabel for more info on making informed decisions about your food purchases.

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