I don't frequent Starbucks very often, but when I do I order a latte with organic milk. The last time I did so, I noticed the barista pouring milk from a small square container, like the kind soy milk comes in. So yesterday I ordered a latte and paid attention and noticed that yes, the barista was pouring milk from a Parmalat organic milk carton. Parmalat is what's known as "shelf-stable" milk, meaning it doesn't need to be refrigerated. That's because it's been ultra-pasteurized, or heated to a higher temperature higher than normal pasteurization (280°F vs. 145°F). There are many people that believe ultra-pasteurized milk not only has no nutritional value, but also may be harder to digest because of changes in the protein structures of the milk itself. Needless to say, I try not to drink ultra-pasteurized milk.

Stabucks recently announced they'd be moving to rBGH-free milk in all their US stores. I drink organic milk because I don't want rBGH milk. But in the order of rBGH vs. organic vs. ultra-pasteurized, I wasn't sure which way to go. No more lattes started to seem like the best bet. I called Starbucks to confirm their organic milk was ultra-pasteurized, and to find out the time frame for the rBGH-free milk roll-out.

37% of Starbucks now use rBGH-free milk. I was told the process could still take a few more years to complete, but you can always ask at your local Starbucks to see the milk label. So possibly I could drink rBGH-free milk, if my local Starbucks have made the change. But if the haven't switched to rBGH-free, then organic is my only alternative. But my call confirmed their organic milk is ultra-pasteurized. I suppose this is for ease of shipping and storage, since there's probably less demand for organic. Regardless, I'm bummed. For now, my plan is no more lattes.

Posted on March 13, 2007

copyright © 1999-2009 Megnut LLC      archives | about | contact | home