organic milk- plastic gallon or paper half?

brideonjuly8 · February 2012

My mom once told me the plastic in gallons did something to the milk (was she talking BPA?) and it was safer to get the paper half gallons, so that's what I've been buying since DS started on whole milk.

The gallon sizes (we buy the CM brand) are a lot cheaper. But last store trip I bought the plastic gallon size and the expiration dates are so much sooner, I can't stock up like I can with the half sizes. And I think the last one we had went bad way before we were done with it, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't open the 7 days it says on the label.

So, which do you buy? Have you heard if one is better than the other in regards to the paper vs plastic (aside from being "green" and cheaper)?

meg120510 · February 2012

I buy our organic in the gallon container because it isn't ultra-pasteurized. Yes, it expires sooner, but it isn't killing off as many of the nutrients.

angelaggie · February 2012

meg120510:
I buy our organic in the gallon container because it isn't ultra-pasteurized. Yes, it expires sooner, but it isn't killing off as many of the nutrients.

I was wondering about this. Is the milk you buy in the gallon the same pasteurization as the milk in the half gallons? Ultra-pasteurization lasts a lot longer than just pasteurized.

SareBear30 · February 2012

I feel like I had heard paper was better because it wasn't exposed to light. But I don't remember why that mattered.

MC+KK · February 2012

Kinds off the subject, but why does organic milk last so much longer than non organic?

AmethystBride · February 2012

SareBear30:
I feel like I had heard paper was better because it wasn't exposed to light. But I don't remember why that mattered.

I want to say the light destroys the nutrients. But since the fridge is dark most of the time until I open it, should that really be a problem? I guess the time it sits in a grocery store it is exposed to constant light...

txgrad · February 2012

I heard the same thing as SareBear30, so I did a quick google and came up with this:

https://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/cardboard-vs-plastic

It says, "Because light destroys vitamin A and riboflavin, two key nutrients in milk, the opacity of the milk container is important."

Here's an interesting comparison from Slate on the environmental impacts:

https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2011/03/disoriented_in_the_dairy_aisle.html

(Sorry I can't make these links clicky.)

angelaggie · February 2012

MC+KK:
Kinds off the subject, but why does organic milk last so much longer than non organic?

Its the pasteurization usually. Not sure of the science behind it. There are different levels of pasteurization. More pasteurized = lasts longer.

PrincessBrideSarah · February 2012

I remember reading a while back that light makes milk taste bad. Containers that let light in make the milk taste not as good. Supposedly it only takes a few hours of light exposure to give the milk an off flavor. (Think about milk sitting in the display case--it could be several days of light before you buy it and put it in your mostly dark fridge.)

I had never been a big fan of milk and could not believe how much better milk in paper cartons tasted. Since the only milk that I could find in light-blocking cartons is organic, I buy organic milk. I don't buy much else organic, but the taste is so much better for milk (at least that's my opinion).

That's all I have for why a paper carton would be better than a plastic jug.

meg120510 · February 2012

Our organic milk isn't in a transparent container like most milk, and can't taste the difference between it and the paper carton.

Mainer-in-Texas · February 2012

We buy whole milk in the paper containers - DH said it's better because the fat can allow the BPAs to get from the plastic to the milk. (however, most of our whole milk goes down the drain because DD won't drink it

)

MrsMillerTime · February 2012

We get ours from Costco and it is 3 half gallon paper containers. Prior to shopping at Costco we just bought the plastic CM gallon. It honestly never occurred to me that the plastic could be "bad" for the milk.

mrs.wildman · February 2012

I buy milk in opaque white plastic jugs.I think it's Shamrock Farms or something like that - it's bigger than a 1/2 gallon and smaller than a gallon. It always smells (and tastes) fine past the expiry date.

I never really understood the whole light killing nutrients thing. How much light is the milk really exposed to anyway? I mean the fridge light comes on when you open and shut the door, but that's it. Does that little light really affect the milk? I'm not arguing - I'm really, actually curious about this.

bobcatsteph · February 2012

MrsMillerTime:
We get ours from Costco and it is 3 half gallon paper containers. Prior to shopping at Costco we just bought the plastic CM gallon. It honestly never occurred to me that the plastic could be "bad" for the milk.

This.

jml5q · February 2012

i buy the plastic jugs because i prefer the taste of regular pasteurized over the ultra-pasteurized milk. plus it kind of weirds me out that the ultra pasteurized can last that longs. it just seems wrong.

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