Modern milks increasingly cater to health concerns

Picking up milk at the store used to come down to a handful of choices: Whole, low-fat or skim?

These days, our cups runneth over with options.

That half-gallon of 2 percent now shares the dairy case with milk infused with probiotics (to add healthy bacteria that aid digestion), prebiotics (to feed those bacteria), plant sterols (to lower cholesterol) and DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid (to promote brain health and development).

Just as popular are milks whose main selling point is their lack of human intervention: milk without added hormones or antibiotics, organic milk, unhomogenized milk, raw milk. For the super particular, there's milk from grass-fed cattle or goats, milk from a certain breed (like Jersey) and even milk milked from a specific herd.

"There's been a multiplicity of new offerings coming out that make the dairy case seem even more complicated because there are so many more choices," said Blair Thompson, spokesman for the Washington Dairy Products Commission.

The folks who study why we buy what we buy, including Harry Balzer, vice president of the market research firm NPD Group, put it like this: The vast majority of Americans already drink milk of some type regularly (mostly 2 percent here in the Evergreen state). Thus, the way for sellers to grab a bigger share of the market is to offer something a little different, especially if it speaks to the nation's growing health and environmental consciousness.

"We are certainly seeing a lot going on with milk. Milk is definitely a gateway category into the larger health and wellness world" said Laurie Demeritt, president of the Hartman Group, a Bellevue-based consulting firm that studies consumer behavior.

Consumer demand for milk without added bovine growth hormone prompted many of the new options in the dairy case, Demeritt said.

In a nod to growing interest in local foods, national brands like Carnation are giving way to more supermarket house brand hormone-free or organic milks, which typically cost more than conventional milk, Thompson said.

He attributes the growth in milks fortified with ingredients that boost fiber intake and battle heart disease to the aging baby boomer generation, which keeps searching for ways to stay healthy and active.

"What you see happening is food providers trying to cater to individual needs," Thompson said. "This is a way of refreshing the category and making it more relevant for today's more discriminating consumer."

All this choice can be confusing. Ultimately, which milk goes home with shoppers may come down to affordability, especially when food costs are on the incline for everything from flour and butter to eggs and sugar. The average price of a gallon of 2 percent milk at major Seattle supermarkets increased by nearly 20 cents over the past year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture's agricultural marketing service data.

When cost is less of an object, local nutritionists say it never hurts to drink organic.

"Then, you have the advantage of not having any hormones or antibiotics in the milk," said Judy Simon, clinic dietician with the University of Washington. When that's not an option, look for milk without hormones or antibiotics from a Northwest dairy, she suggests.

Michelle Babb, who teaches nutrition at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle, says many of the new fortified milks could boost our intake of helpful nutrients and shouldn't harm us, though it's always better to glean nutrients from a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Supplements in milk that she thinks are particularly helpful: Added fiber, calcium and DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid gleaned from algae that contributes to brain, eye and cardiovascular health, often added to baby formula.

The growth of farmers markets around the state has introduced even more variety. That milk is held to the same safety standard as milk at supermarkets, said Claudia Coles, food-safety program manager with the state Department of Health. All dairy plants and farms in Washington, regardless of size, have to meet the same quality and sanitation standards to be licensed and approved. If in doubt, ask sellers for their most recent inspection report or to see their license, she said.

Dairies that produce raw, or unpasteurized milk, receive the same inspections, though Coles cautions against drinking it due to the potential of bacteria that can cause severe illness, especially in young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Since the milk is not pasteurized to kill pathogens, it's impossible to know that the milk you're buying a particular day is pathogen-free, she said.

Nonetheless, raw milk is yet another category that is growing, dairy data show. Vashon Island's Sea Breeze Farm has seen its customer base double at least once each year, said owner George Page. The farm produces 250 gallons a week of unpasteurized, unhomogenized milk and nearly always sells out, which he attributes to its rich flavor and a growing desire for food in its most natural form.

What's next? The Hartman Group's Demeritt expects even more milks fortified with health-boosting supplements. She's also noticed more consumers paying attention to how the breed of cattle or the herd's diet affects taste and quality, just as they already are with meat, eggs and produce. Milk sellers will respond by including even more information on the packaging, she said.

"Some of the brands out there are telling stories about the producers, the place it's coming from, how the cattle were raised. It's almost this emotional connection back to the producer, the place, the product. That's starting to resonate with consumers as well," Demeritt said.

"It's not enough to just sort of slap organic on a label anymore. You've got to give them the back story."

Karen Gaudette: 206-515-5618 or kgaudette@seattletimes.com