Milk

Milk... a dairy product straight from the cow. Other than being pasteurised and homogenised (homogenisation is a completely unnecessary process that does nothing other than mix the cream uniformly into the milk) milk is a fairly natural, untouched product. Right?? Apparently not. :(

There have been many reports in the media about dairy companies adding a cheese making byproduct called parmeate into milk. This in effect "dilutes" the milk and solves the problem of having to dispose of the parmeate. I don't want to name names and spread "unsubstantiated" rumours so I challenge you to judge for yourself. Buy a bottle of Pauls Farm House Gold milk or Parmalat Full Cream Milk and a bottle of any regular full cream milk and do a taste test. The hubby could even tell the difference.

Armed with this information I was surprised to find that the Farm House Gold was only 50c a litre more than the Dairy Farmers Full Cream Milk!!  Well worth the few extra cents for the taste alone.

Edited to add:

I have found a milk that is pasteurised only without any homogenisation. The big bonus is that it is from Cooloola dairy on the local Sunshine Coast dairy. Ohhhh Myyyyy. The cream on the top. Globules in the milk. Heaven in a cup. So far I've only found it at IGA Samford. IGA (Independent Grocers Australia) are champions for local producers. Their staff are friendly, helpful and well-trained. Their shelves are always stocked. Their prices on the basics that I buy regularly are cheaper than Coles and Woolworths. IGA owners are locals. The employ locals. I support IGA and would urge anyone concerned about Coles and Woolworths controlling the market that supplies us with the food we eat to consider supporting IGA.

Some food for thought (pun absolutely intended):

Coles and Woolies

You can have a say about who controls the food that you consume and provide for your children. If you want to eat food free from chemical additives and with the nutrition your body needs to grow, think, heal and work properly to prevent the need for medical intervention. If you want to source your food locally so that it is as fresh and nutrition dense as possible. If you want a CHOICE in what food you can purchase. If you want to cut the carbon footprint of the food you buy. Then I would recommend you shop locally. Shop independent grocers and ensure that your dollar is speaking for you. Don't wait until you have no choice. It's too late then.