Menu

Fairlife Milk Is So Deceitful That I Can’t Stand It

April 22, 2015   95 Comments

A new player in the milk game has arrived announcing that it is “better milk”.

Fairlife Milk is NOT Grass Fed

When you market something as “better”, some of us begin to wonder what is wrong with the original. I have found that “better” can actually mean that a product is improved.

What about cow’s milk? Can you improve it?

Heck, yeah! You can give the cows a beautiful pasture, lots of green grass, and names like “Bessie” and “Bertie”. Treat them with dignity - milk them yourself- and you will have the best tasting milk, wholesome, freshest milk on the planet.

Of course, most of us don’t have a pasture or time to milk a cow so we go to the store and buy it in cartons.

Fairlife milk wants us to “believe in better milk” (in cartons). It is priced about $3.98 to $4.20 for a half gallon and is specially cold-filtered so that it has 50% more protein, 50% less sugar and 30% more calcium than conventional milk.

Fairlife is also partnered with the Coca-Cola company but they distance themselves a bit from the arrangement.

From USA Today:

In a phone interview, Steve Jones, CEO of Fairlife, strongly insisted that while Coca-Cola is distributing the milk, it is playing no role in the milk's actual production and has nothing to do with what takes place on the dairy farms. "People keep referring to this as 'Coke Milk' and it's not," he says.

Okay! Not Coke Milk, got it.

Well, I was excited to see that the milk was from grass fed cows. Here is the label:

Do you see how it says “From grass to glass traceability back to our own farms?"

I buy local milk from grass fed cows (High Lawn Farm milk from the Berkshires) because I like the taste, cows are built to eat grass (they are ruminants), and it has 20% more calcium and 17% more protein than corn and grain fed cow milk.

The problem here is that Fairlife milk isn’t from grass fed cows. How do I know that? I called their 1-800 number and asked.

The cows are fed corn, soy, alfalfa, and a mixture of grains. I asked, “any grass?” The representative said, “No grass”.

Then, I said, “Why did you say “from grass to glass” on your package if you aren’t feeding the cows grass?” He said that they use it as a phrase to explain the traceability of the milk to the individual farms.

Ummmm.

OH! I get it. The farms have grass - but they don't feed it to their cows.

Isn’t the consumer going to infer that you are feeding the cows grass if you use that word on your package?

I REALLY hate this kind of deception. Their website is filled with photos of lovely pastures of grass and their logo is a cow eating something green on the ground (like grass).

You want to market “better” milk? Fine. But don’t use the word “grass” unless you use it to feed your cows.

The milk tastes less sweet and lacks the flavor of conventional milk. I think it is perfectly fine for people who need to go lactose-free.

I wouldn’t buy it because I think the marketing is deceitful and I want to support products that tell the truth.

Have you seen Fairlife milk? What do you think of it?

Other posts you might like:

Is Diet Soda a Fraud?

Is the Term “Diet” in Diet Soda a Lie?

When Pepsi and Coca-Cola named their drinks “Diet Pepsi” and “Diet Coke”, they thought that the zero calorie versions of their popular drinks would help people lose weight.

Ask the President of Cereal

What Would You Advise the President of Cereal?

Some influential people get to visit the White House to meet the president as part of their job. I get to visit Minneapolis....

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

95 Comments:

Wow just wow!!!! Thank you for exposing this!!

We were not farmers but I was lucky enough to always have a cow hanging around.They were always Jerseys. They went out to pasture every day to graze but in order to keep them producing enough milk their diets had to be supplemented with grain.From Sept. to April the main source of roughage was died timothy and alfalfa that we grew on our farm. I grew up on raw milk. I believe it was a healthy way to get protein and calcium. Eventually, when raw milk was no longer available, I stopped drinking milk. Period.There are so many benefits to raw milk that our agriculture system pushed for, and got, legislation to prevent the sale of raw milk. Go figure...

UNBELIEVABLE!! Thank you!!! It's so important to get the word out about fraud like this.

Thanks for the info, saw it at Sprouts market but did not purchase it, glad I resisted the lovely container!

This is the kind of information that I REALLY like to read. THANK YOU for doing the due diligence and exposing this.

Snack Girl you're my hero!!! Thanks again!

It's amazing how something can be unbelievable and unsurprising at the same time. Thanks for doing the leg work research on this!

Oh man...what a lame company. This is the kind of stuff that not only turns me off of a product but a brand and an entire xompany. Thank you for exposing this deceitful company!

Ugh! It is so frustrating as a consumer sometimes! You try to read the labels, but when this kind of thing happens what are we to do?! Thank you for finding this out and sharing.

If it doesn't say certified organic, I keep walking!

Thank you so much for checking this out and reporting what you found. That kind of deception really bothers me, too. I would be tempted to talk to the manager at Sprouts (or any "health food" store) and explain this to them. I bet they'd pull it from their store.

This is unbelievable... I mean why say it at all? Because people will pay extra money for grass-fed, that's just wrong.

You comment that it's ok for people who need to go Lactose-free. What makes this real milk lactose free?

Thanks Lisa for always checking on things.. I too get annoyed at all the deception all the food companies lay on us. We really have to play detective when it comes to what we put in our mouths.

@Mary- Fairlife milk is lactose-free. Many people are lactose intolerant so I think that - since you are already having to alter the composition of the milk - it is a fine choice for those people. Thanks for your question!

Alfalfa is grass...

Alfalfa is grass... I have horses that are on a grass (fescue) pasture but I also feed them Alfalfa hay and pellets and cubes... but I don't give them much because Alfalfa is such a rich grass/hay... so if those cows are getting alfalfa, they are getting a grass.

I wish I could afford Certified Organic products.

Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!!!!! Once again, thank you so much for exposing the truth!!! I'm so irritated with all of the deception out there!! We deserve to know the truth. This is crazy deceitful. I love you to Life for this!!!!

What "j." said. This is the kind of information that I REALLY like to read. THANK YOU for doing the due diligence and exposing this.

I'm glad I saw your informative post before ever seeing the milk on the shelf somewhere, Snack Girl. Now I'll make sure to take a pass.

Very informative. I bought the chocolate version once as an alternative to creamer in my coffee. It seemed like it was still too high in sugar regardless of the protein content so I never bought it again. I'm sure they implied that the cows were grassfed just to jack up the price. Thank you for sharing this.

I bought this milk and loved it. I think it tastes really good. It's not that different from other milks I buy (typically organic Kroger brand) - they're both delicious - but it definitely has a unique quality to the flavor.

I will admit that I didn't even notice the "grass to glass" claim, so that definitely wasn't why I picked it up. I was much happier about the higher protein content (which I hope IS true!) and, somewhat, the lactose factor. I don't know if I'm intolerant, per se, but sometimes I get tummy issues and I've been wondering if it's a dairy thing.

At any rate, I wasn't shopping for milk from grass-fed cows, and as I mentioned I didn't even notice that claim. I can understand your reaction and why you thought it was a bit deceptive... although I have learned from your commenters that alfalfa IS a grass (maybe someone should tell that to the Fairlife rep?!)

Thanks for the info, Lisa! I will buy this product again in a heartbeat, but luckily there are other options out there for those who don't want to.

I have NO idea about the details of this, but here's my comments: IF alfalfa is a grass, and I believe it is... and if - as one of the comments above indicates - you do need to supplement a cow's diet for the health and nutrition of the cow with some 'timothy' or alfalfa, etc.. especially in the winter when grass doesn't grow... (Right??) then are they really lying or begin deceitful? Is it also possible you got a person on the phone that is not the brightest crayon in the box? That could have/should have explained more about the health and nutrtition of a cow and different types of grasses that may be fed? Not just the kind coming up out of the dirt at that particular time? I work in a completely separate industry where people are quick to come to conclusions without having all the correct information. And sometimes the ONE person you speak to is not the best source. Just sayin'.

That's infuriating to me, and I expect, against FDA regs. I hope it's reported and they're ordered to cease and desist this flagrant misrepresentation.Meanwhile, I'll continue to buy glass-bottled milk from pasture grazing cows at the local farmer, as long as he's able to stay in business.

Thank you for exposing the real truth!! This product will NEVER be in my shopping cart.

Alfalfa is not grass - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfalfa - it is a legume. But, the point here is that we picture a pasture with cows grazing on grass (in my opinion) with the Fairlife marketing. If the phrase was "alfalfa to glass" - I would be fine with it.

Intentionally deceitful advertising is so wrong. One of the ways I look at advertising, have told to my children and grandchildren, is that if something needs to be advertised a lot, it's not usually a great product. Word-of-mouth works well for a good product. When has a tomato or ear of corn been pushed at consumers?

Today we see eye to eye. I think it is more about the money than the milk. Great post!

Ah, thanks for the info that alfalfa isn't grass. Great discussion, everyone!

Alfalfa is called grass in the farming community. There are many types of grasses not just what your lawn is made of.

I think it is splitting hairs and maligning a product because the terminology is misunderstood. It is apparently "better" than conventional milk products at the store so what is the problem?

In Texas, I have never seen a critter that is not "grass" fed from pastures or in a pasture. Their feed needs to be supplemented with "hay" another grass, and soy, corn, etc. This insures better nutrition and healthier cows.

Look at the firestorm that is created when someone does not perform due diligence.

It really gets my goat (lol) when city folks think they know about ranching and farming and farming terminology especially when stories and rumors are spread by PETA and other organizations with spurious agendas.

We have not seen this product at the store and may never see it in our town.

As far as raw milk goes, it may not be the best choice for the elderly, babies and the immune compromised because of the bacteria that may be present.

In Texas, one must have a membership and buy direct from the farm not in stores. The farm has to be certified "Grade A Raw for Retail."

It's amazing what their allowed to get away with. They treat consumers like complete fools. I'm enjoying your book Lisa and look forward to my morning email when I get to work. What made you call?

This also makes me crazy. I guess they feel they're not technically lying because they don't say grass fed cows. Thanks for the heads up. I don't drink milk but I have clients who do.

Jeez, people, calm down. I can't believe the word grass gets you so upset. Do some research on milk. Many many folks swear that adults do not need COW milk. I drink any milk that is lactose free because I like a glass of milk. Lots worse eating habits and foodstuffs out there. I lived in a farm area, my teens used to work for small local farmers and I can tell you that you should NOT automatically believe it when it says ORGANIC.

How about providing the 1-800 number, maybe we can bombard them with requests to stop this deceitful advertising!!!!!!

Thank you for your research, i hate when companies do this and it's hard and time consuming to research everything you eat and drink, why can't they just be honest!

Great awareness post! My first tip-off would be Coke as the mfg. As Marlene said, excessive advertising is another clue. I'm pretty sure Michael Pollan said that too. Personally, I'm trying to eliminate all dairy as I was convinced of its deception as a health food by the Dairy Council many years ago. There's way better-for-you sources of protein and calcium.

I think its fabulous that you expose deceptive marketing especially visual marketing that tugs at our emotions and guides how we spend our grocery dollars each week. NYDaily News had this to report a few weeks ago: "It’s clear why Coke is trying to get into the milk business: More and more Americans are turning away from sugary soft drinks, and soda sales fell to a 19-year-low in 2013.

The company is unabashed about its goal of making milk the new beverage mainstay.

Fairlife is “basically the premiumization of milk," Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas said last year when the product was introduced.

He told industry insiders that Fairlife would "rain money" for investors."

Thanks Lisa for highlighting this product! The complete article is here if anyone is interested.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/nutrition-expe…

Wow! I have bought the nonfat milk, twice now. I believed that the cows were truly eating grass too :-(. I love the super high amount of protien in 1 cup (13 grams and very low sugars) which is great in my coffee. I have felt so much better since my coffee includes protien. But I am quite disappointed that the label is misinforming. Thank you for exposing the truth. I will continue to buy it. But I am now informed.

Thank you, Lisa. It is really offensive that they take us for such gullible idiots and get us to spend more money. I just went directly to their website and left an appropriate, informed comment!

Thank you, Lisa. I'm sure this kind of deception is rampant in the marketing of products these days. If this type of claim isn't illegal, it should be!

Kudos to the honest employee!!!!! Thanks for the head up and good thing the CEO cleared up the Coke snafu 😂😂😂😂😂

Thank you for the information. Due to their advertising I was going to look for it but now "forget about it". I love the way you do your homework and share it with all.

Good article Lisa...my wife loves your posts and always forwards them to me. I am a consumer and strong proponent of Real milk. That is the stuff that comes directly from a cow before it is altered by men. Anything less is useless and perhaps even harmful to your health. Pasteurization and Homogenization only removes the natural benefits God intended us to receive from consuming milk. For the sake of profit and convenience we have primarily lost one of the best health foods ever known to man. Fortunately there are still a few states left that allow the sale of raw milk and if you live near one then you ought to do anything possible to support that farmer. If not you too may soon be forced to drink a far inferior substitute "Coke-Milk".

What it promised is the traceability - "from grass to glass" is a trademark registered with the U.S. Patent Trademark office. This is ONLY a catchy marketing phrase - does not in any way claim that the milk is from grass fed cows.

We drink High Lawn Farm milk also, It's the best and their cream is like no other. Thanks for all your help in exposing the frauds,,,

I'm still confused. what makes this milk lactose free when other milk is not lactose free? And I'm sorry but, When I was a kid, no one ever even heard of lactose intolerant and everyone drank pasteurized milk every day. It was and still is a a healthy product.

Don't they know that's a law suit just waiting to happen?! Good for you for exposing this. In CA I would have called "The Turko Files" you know it's the areas Dog Watch. Alfalfa is grass, but the cows are still consuming other things that they shouldn't be I guess you can say. So yeah the punchline is what they call an unspoken lie. People have sued and won millions over less.

That's such a disgusting misrepresentation of their company. Thanks for digging deep for us! Definitely staying away from this brand.

Does the nutritional content of the milk really change that much for Fairlife milk vs. conventional milk? That is almost unbelievable.

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH❗️😥😳I was was one of the suckers who bought into the "grass fed"lie!!I WILL NOT BE PURCHASING ANY MORE❗️❗️😖😖😖

Cow's milk is for baby calves, not humans. We've been sold a bag of goods. Cow's milk protein is 70 to 80% casein (casein is oncogenic, according to research).

One scientific article, "A milk protein, casein, as a proliferation promoting factor in prostate cancer cells" is a good example of this research.

I just started buying it.. And now I will stop..

Isn't alfalfa, grass??

Lisa, you seem hell bent on trying to find fault with this milk as if you are the queen bee know-it-all. Their website says they grow their own crops, which is probably why they say "grass to glass" traceable - and besides alfalfa IS a grass, but evidently you don't know that.

I've tried Fairlife and it's the best tasting milk I've had. I've even been to the farm in Fair Oaks that they talk about on their website. Maybe you should go there to educate yourself rather than trying to play Erin Brokovitch and coming up short.

You are so right about the marketing deception by Fairlife. It is produced by Fair Oaks Farms in northern Indiana. They are a big agribusiness and offer tours to the public. I have been there and seen firsthand how they operate. Cows are mechanically milked on large rotating carousels. Even worse, one of the big attractions is the "birthing barn", where cows in the process of giving birth are on display in glass walled enclosures. Visitors sit in bleachers to watch. How sad for the mother cows having to deal with people taking flash pictures and making noise. Fair Oaks Farms is definitely "techno-farming" and not the nurturing atmosphere the marketing projects. I sent an editorial to The Indianapolis Star about this (after they had printed a piece that suggested Fair Oaks Farm is grass-roots style). The Star chose not to print my letter. So thank you for getting the word out.

You really couldn't be any further from the truth. Just because you spoke with a customer service rep who did not have the correct answers does not give you the right to write a blog with blatant disregard for the truth. In fact, your little "tidbit" is completely deceitful. As a close associate with some of the dairy farmers who provide the milk to the Coopersville, MI Plant, I personally now what the cows are fed...gasp...grass mainly. The milk comes from no further than a 60 mile radius to support local farms and increase product freshness. Along with your complete misrepresentation of the truth, how about you realize that there are people who believe all of these lies you write, and that could really hurt the local farmers you so "desparately" care about.

Why not stab them in the back personally

At no point does it say "grass fed" it says from grass to glass traceability. That is most likely a creative way of saying you could track each cow or where the milk specifically comes from. There is no way a court of law would see this as deceitful. You are completely misinformed. When the milk is truly better for you than ordinary milk, in every category, why would your misunderstanding of the label cause such an uproar? Do you need followers that badly? I guarantee if Coca Cola wasn't the merchandiser, not the producer, you would have no issue with it. I work for a company closely correlated with Fairlife and it's honestly funny how wrong you are about every single thing you've said. Go ahead, drink the worst possible milk you can as long as it specifically says "grass-fed" but remember, Fairlife milk does not say that on the package. Do you actual research and post the specific differences between only grass fed and milk from local farmers where grass is included in the feed, I guarantee you wouldn't have posted this because you would realize that you misread the label. Just so you know, Fairlife is doing extremely well regardless of your misconceptions, I just want to correct you on your failure as a blogger. Maybe do actual research and talk to a farmer or several dairy farmers instead of a customer service rep who couldn't be any further from the process of making the absolute best milk around.

You will most likely feel foolish and that will make me happy.

My goodness. What is real on this planet called earth. What is really real for people like me that goes according the labels on the packaging.

Lisa, you did right. If a label uses the word ''grass'' it is saying clearly that grass is involved. They could have said from our farm to your glass if traceability is the only purpose. C'mon, more $ is spent on PR/Mktg than any of us could ever believe and certain words = sales, i.e., pastured, cage-free, organic, and GRASS! Thats why we as the consumers need to do our homework. If we keep most of our dollars local we have a better chance not to be duped, esp by corporations. Corporations are notorious for buying a good company with a good product and after a decent consumer base, cheapen the ingredients and raise the price, banking on hooked consumers with no time to research every grocery item. No matter whether people like this milk, trust the Fairlife site, or steer clear of it for other reasons, I, for one applaud you, for the awareness you have given us, your loyal readers, and the venue for a lively debate. Critical thinking is the only way to knowledge, not being led by authoritative advertising, right or wrong.

:) Cheers!

people...ALFALFA is a grass! And besides, okay she called the 800 number...who knows who or how much the person knows about the dairy process! So by golly, give Fairlife a break! But ALFALFA is a grass so therefore, they are not misleading the public! And yes, I've had their milk and it tastes a lot better and it settles on my stomach better than the other milks I have tried.

Snack girl: How can you possibly blame YOUR misreading of the line as deceit by Fairlife??? I have not found a single instance where they say their cows are grass fed. And the person you called didn't say their cows are grass fed either. So why on earth are you blaming Fairlife for being deceitful about being grass fed??? As far as I can see, they are saying they are grass to glass TRACEABLE. How foolish you are.' Shame on you for spreading false rumors just because of your own mistake.

Thank you Kelley. i am really surprised at all the readers that claim they want milk from "grass fed cows". A complete;y grass fed cow would look like she was on vacation from a third world country. Do a bit of research on milk production or visit a local dairy.What is "grass fed" and why is it batter? Make your statements based on fact and stay off the bandwagon. Lisa, you lose on this one.

Wow, such vitriol (and dishonesty) from those who are primarily benefiting financially from this product. No, folks, the "jingle" is clearly meant to mislead consumers into believing that the cows are pasture-fed, not from hopper-fed troughs in a barn. Marketing executives know what they're doing. By using "grass to glass" as their trademarked label, they are strongly insinuating something that is not true. And no, cows are NOT meant to eat soy, corn and grains. And Debbie, your comment about grass-fed cattle is so ludicrous it's sad. Agri-business farm Cows are fed stuff that they can't properly digest, but fattens them up and, often along with growth hormones, increases their "yield", often causing much discomfort for the cow. My uncle ran a family-run dairy for years - whenever we visited, we had fresh milk straight from the milk vats. Yum! Still miss it.

I wouldn't buy it because it's EIGHT BUCKS A GALLON. $2.59 / Gallon for Market Basket milk. 8 bucks for ... what exactly ... magic elixir?

Thanks for the wonderful article! Great to have this info..........

Lisa, Can you respond on Kitty's comment regarding the dangers of casein? I drink milk everyday and this concerns me very much. Thank you

Their chocolate milk has artificial sweeteners. I did try it, yuk! I was not surprised.I'm just a sucker for chocolate milk.:(

How disappointing. I tried the milk, thought it was fine and considered buying it again since it costs a little less then organic but I guess I won't be doing that. I really appreciate the truth.

I can't believe people can believe "one line" you chose to look into the WRONG way. You called a 1-800 number..really? That person is in customer service and doesn't have the knowledge that corporate/factory/farm has. From grass to glass means the farms are traceable. Visit one before you make accusations. Trust me, I live 20 minutes from one and 2 hours from the other farm. Take the TRUTH from someone higher up the scale and do YOUR RESEARCH before you try and tare down a company. Business is still thriving and estimated to go globally. Which, I am sure your "little blog" with not even measure up to that much success. But GOOD LUCK anyway.

I can't believe people can believe "one line" you chose to look into the WRONG way. You called a 1-800 number..really? That person is in customer service and doesn't have the knowledge that corporate/factory/farm has. From grass to glass means the farms are traceable. Visit one before you make accusations. Trust me, I live 20 minutes from one and 2 hours from the other farm. Take the TRUTH from someone higher up the scale and do YOUR RESEARCH before you try and tare down a company. Business is still thriving and estimated to go globally. Which, I am sure your "little blog" with not even measure up to that much success. But GOOD LUCK anyway. I do BELIEVE IN BETTER MILK. Thanks to Fairlife.

Alfalfa is a form of "grass" a roughage that ruminants thrive on. In addition cows need to be supplemented with grain while they are producing milk. Cows who are not fed any grain can get serious metabolic imbalances and can die if their diets do not have enough energy in the diet. "Grass" does not have enough caloric value to sustain a cow who is lactating i.e. giving milk especially early in the milk production period. It is appropriate to supplement the diet of the cow with grains. If you want milk that is only produced by cows fed only grass then you do not care about the health and well-being of the cow those who are producing it. I grew up on a small family dairy farm and our animals were pastured as much as possible (all but winter months). We still had to feed them grain.

I'm not in the dairy industry but I've done extensive research on dairy farming and have talked to farmers because this was a huge question for me when I was pregnant. I'm sorry, but I think you're wrong here, Lisa. First, I'm surprised that nobody has brought up that corn is a type of grass (http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/food/grains.sh…). So anything you buy that says "grass fed" could mean corn fed.

Beyond that, though, even organic dairy cows get very few of their calories from actually grazing in a pasture. As consumers, our vision of cows in rolling hills, grazing on luscious green grass, is just wrong. It doesn't happen. This is just the truth when it comes to large scale dairy farming (and pretty much any dairy you buy in the grocery store is from a large scale farm).

I don't care what you say about Fairlife (though I really like it). But I think it's misleading for you to act like it's possible for the average person to purchase milk from a cow whose diet exists solely of the type of grass we see on our front lawn. And to the raw milk advocates on this post...yikes. Dangerous.

I for one bought Fairlife because the founder is a veterinarian, and from what I can tell, they really do care about their animals. I don't think they're being misleading. I think it was misleading for you to call the customer service line with the intent of publishing their comments (which I'm sure you didn't tell them ahead of time).

I questioned this milk when they ran the first commercial. in the commercial they say the milk is double filtered to give it double the calcium among other things. Thanks for the info.

Boy, Lisa, lots of googling going on to agree or disagree with you on this subject! I know I'm learning more than I had known about grass. I'm pretty sure its still green :) and that I don't want a field of cornstalks to replace my lawn, ha-ha. Staying with your point however, if alfalfa IS grass, and it seems that it IS, (even with conflicting descriptions: it looks like grass but is categorized biologically as a legume?) one would like to think a customer service rep would indeed know that basic fact. Or, at the very least, check and get back to you. We shouldn't have to escalate our call, or personally visit a farm for such simple info; but I guess we do. This is taking food research to a whole new level. All this info has urged me to continue reducing my personal (bovine) dairy consumption towards a goal of total elimination. With so many alternatives its never been easier. I just feel healthier.

Keep up all the good work, Lisa! You really help me think, consider, and decide!

I found this article on cow nutrition.

http://www.causematters.com/agriculture/cow-dietitian-corn-…

Thank you Laura for posting the facts!

The link to the blog post by the dairy Nutritionist contains correct science-based information. As a blogger "snack girl" provides the same sort of misleading and incorrect information as the "food babe." Information in the hands of someone with a largely underinformed and overly self-righteous audience leads to nutritional myths being spread like wildfire. Just because you can look something up online or call the customer service number does not mean that you actually have the factual information or the skills to appropriately use that information. You've certainly proven you don't have the appropriate educational credentials or background to synthesize the information.

Thank you for the link Laura. It's a great article written by a cow/dairy nutritionist.

Deen, this should be required reading for you!

Thank you so much for this! I'd like to suggest including a way to contact the company and formally complain about this deceptive practice. Of course, I can look it up but I think more readers would be prompted to speak up if the info was readily available here in the article.

Keep up the fantastic work!

~Kim

This milk is so good, lactose free...I'm sorry i dont care if the cows are fed alfalfa or grass I'm not stopping drinking fairlife milk. If everyone really knew what is in most milk they would not drink it.

Trese. I agree 100% Since this was posted Fairlife milk is the only milk we buy!

More due diligence should have taken place on this item.

This milk is really good!

@Mary: Lactose is a sugar that naturally occurs in milk. So, if milk is filtered to reduce the sugars, then, obviously, that decreases the lactose. And a huge percentage of the earth's population is lactose intolerant! Lactose *tolerance* is actually *less* common globally, occurring much more in populations of northern European descent (such as caucasian North Americans).

And why are so many people suddenly in a tizzy about this kind of milk?

Lucerne (Safeway) rolled out a product that is almost exactly the same TWO YEARS AGO, and I don’t recall anybody ever making such a big stink about it!

I was raised on a dairy farm and worked on multiple farms thereafter. Alfalfa IS grass. Its a rich, healthy grass that cows absolutely love! The diet these cows are receiving is a normal dairy farm diet, and the fact that they are getting Alfalfa is a plus for the mile production.

While reading an email today from 'World's Healthiest Foods'', I ran into a lot of background data on cows and their grazing history up to the present. It seems so thorough as to be appropriate to share on this discussion. Much data on organic certification too is here. I enjoyed it. Hope its helpful.

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=339

http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html

I think you're overreacting. They're honest about it.

Also, grass fed beef and milk tastes bad.

^ Speak for yourself. I love the taste of grass-fed beef. It actually has character! And Raw grass-fed milk is great, too.

Alfalfa is grass...

Cold filtration is possibly the best way to filter milk products to seperate lactose (sugars and fats) from the milk. I have been getting my whey protein powder from pasture raised sources that uss the same method. Lactose is the main component in milk that helps baby cows grow quickly and that makes it unhealthy for people. Seriously pook into cold filtration if you haven't done so.

I have further researched fairlife after several articles and sure I am disappointed they are not pasture raised, but there is no other product on the market like them. They are rbgh/s and antibiotic free and they offer tours of their farm and attempt rather honest transparency.

Thanks for your article though.

I did my own calling and it was found these cows are on a mostly Timothy, Alfalfa, and other grasses. So, to put the other corn and other grains in, it produces starches, sugars, and carbs for the cows. As a beef cow producer, my cows are on grass, but they are fed higher protein diets to produce milk for the calves.

EXPOSED--Fairlife article. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/6/7/1863319/-One-of-t…

Re: Fairlife scandal - There were three employees plus a truck driver accused of abuse of the animals. This is out of over 200 employees. Fairlife has a policy of "see something, say something" which apparently worked in this situation which was recently reported on June 7th of this year 2019

I love fairlife products. Do you think this doesn't happen on any other farms? Yes it saddens my heart but a few bad employee's do not define a company.

This story just makes me hate people! They need to screen better! Criminal charges for sure! Stressed out cows dont produce the best milk.

Well said Kinsey! We use Fairlife too.

First off, Snack Girl, your High Lawn Farm milk from the Berkshires are hardly from "grass fed" cows. Please don't make it sound like their cows are out wandering the meadow, eating grass. According to their website, their Jersey cow’s basic ration may contain grass, alfalfa, hay, haylage, corn silage, minerals and grain. We drink Fairlife milk because it is substantially better tasting than the other lactose free products that we have tried. As far as any affiliation with Coca Cola is concerned, anyone who is familiar with industrial food production knows that copacking and distribution is common in the industry. If you've ever bought a loaf of Shaw's Country White Bread, it is actually baked by the "Vermont Baking Company" in Brattleboro, VT. The only difference is that if you by "Vermont Baking Company" bread, you're likely paying 1 1/2 times the price for the same bread. Please! Let's drop the morally superior attitudes. And by the way, I have no affiliation with Fairlife Milk, Coca Cola, or anyone else in the food business. I just think that it's wrong to pass our false info!

Frankly, I like their milk. I like their strategy of straining the milk to increase the protein and reduce the lactose content. It tastes great too.

I have been drinking milk my whole life, including fresh right from our family cow, "Betsy", chilled a bit in the fridge of course! My job as a kid was to skim the cream off the top so grandma could churn into butter. Ok, so their cows are not grass fed. No big deal. So they feed their cows a mixture of grains and grasses. Sounds better to me. But the bottom line is the taste...smooth and creamy. And a great, deep flavorful milk product.

I'll bet everyone in the industry will start filtering their milk soon. So my conclusion to this article is the milk industry is upset because Fairlife was innovative and, as a result, their sales were significant enough to disrupt the market. And the regular milk producers are panicking. Don't believe everything you read when someone is knocking a product. There just might be some competition money behind the article.

Full disclosure: I am a retired shipbuilder and have never been in the milk production or milk product sales or distribution.

This article was definitely written by someone completely out of shape. This milk is a golden tool when building a balanced diet full of the right nutrients. It has double the protein and half the sugar of regular milk. If this was grass fed it would be completely unaffordable for me. Stop throwing shade at an amazing product that gives people a great alternative to sugar coated protein lacking standard milk at an affordable price.

Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)


© 2024 Snack-Girl.com