How horrible! Just checked mine and it's ok!

It isn't necessary. Just stop buying omega-3 milk. Even the reasoning does not make sense.

"Why is Organic Valley adding omega-3 to some of its organic milk?

As a farmer-owned cooperative, we've always been committed to offering diverse product choices for our customers. Adding omega-3 to our already healthful, wholesome milk was a logical and exciting decision for us.

When researchers polled consumers to learn what nutrients consumers believe their diets lack, omega-3 was their top response. There is a recognized deficiency of omega-3 in the typical American diet, with health organizations around the globe recommending that we consume more omega-3. Organic Valley independent research shows that sixty-five percent of consumers say they would buy omega-3 milk.

With Organic Valley Omega-3 milk, we complement our pasture-based organic milk - which contains elevated levels of the naturally occurring ALA omega-3 - with DHA and EPA, two other omega-3 fatty acids sourced from high-quality fish oil, to deliver organic milk that offers a complete source of omega-3 nutrition. Containing 50 mg of the Omega-3s DHA and EPA per 8-oz serving, a little more than three glasses of Organic Valley Omega milk daily will provide you with the USDA-recommended 160 mg of omega-3s."

Processed organic foods are still a good choice. Synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed. Organic refers to no artificial additives as well. So adding omega-3 from a natural resource, fish oil, does not really violate the organic 'rule'. If something non-organic is used, i think 95% (in the US) the total foods plant and animal ingredients must be organic.

-a side note. A very good friend is part of the cooperative. A beautiful upstate NY farm of 150 acres of wandering cows. Barely pays the bills, but he does many things and now selling organic cheese in NYC. Maple syrup, organic beef, etc. (maybe a little knitting) ....that's a little joke, : )....farming is hard work.

Milk straight from the farm is delicious. From the carton, not so much, just fine.

When researchers polled consumers to learn what nutrients consumers believe their diets lack, omega-3 was their top response.

What do consumers even know about omega-3 as a nutrient. I'm sure that was a "loaded question".

Label translation has become a challenge. The omega-3 is bannered in red across hundreds of packaging...even called 'brain food' by some.

Maybe they were briefed, : )

Fish oil does not contain the proteins but could include minute molecules just during processing. The benefits of fish far outweigh the possible contaminates if you know your source and shop wise. But if allergic, know what to look for and study up on the differences. dha-epa algae is not fish and will be listed as vegan, vegetarian. Even if it was consumed without knowledge, the supply chain could shift in the same product without notice. Food allergies and intolerances are not fun. Label reading is not fun either but at least we have them. Improvements welcome.

I do get the FDA re-call e-mails. A good thing to check. Many listed are 'changes in supplier', so unknown egg or dairy is not in the ingredient list. Among many other problems that happen in processing.

I always buy Organic Valley whole milk for my underweight grandson. Until recently, I would keep a carton or two of their shelf stable whole milk (qt size) in my pantry for those days that I might care for him last minute and not have any milk in the refer. I haven't been able to find it at my coop for a couple of months, so finally asked what was up. They did some searching and found out that OV no longer is producing it in the quarts. I guess it was one of their poorer sellers and the coop was told that there is such high demand for organic milk now that it has created a bit of a shortage, so they dropped the shelf stable quarts in order to use the milk they could get to produce the higher demand items, refer milk and cheese, I guess. I thought that was good news that consumers are buying more organic milk. I skip the omega 3 version anyway.

I remember reading that OV produces dairy in the spirit of the organic movement, while some others, like Horizon, stretch the law to the limit and have even lobbied to loosen restrictions on organic standards. I don't buy their products.

I get my milk/cream from Hilhof Dairy, a small local organic farm with grassfed cows. Nothing added, although the flavor of the milk does depend on the diet of the cattle. Even the 2% has cream that rises to the top and must be shaken in. I love the stuff.

I don't want anything else added to my milk, thanks. That reminds me to check up on the latest movement by the diary industry, who wants to add artificial sweeteners to milk and not label it as an ingredient. They say if it's sweeter, kids will drink more, so it's all for "health reasons". Um, yeah....

No fish oil here, thank goodness, although I do feed my chickens organic foods, including flax. More than 10% flax, though, gives the eggs an "off" taste and unless you have caged chickens with specific daily rations, you cannot claim any certain amount of omega 3, since you don't know how much each bird might consume. I also give "the girls" purslane in the summer, as I have tons of it everywhere and it's also high in omega 3s, and they love it. I do eat it in salads, it's very nutritious. Just pasturing your chickens increases the omega 3 in eggs, although I realize not everyone has the luxury of doing so.

Annie

I like Organic Valley butter. They have a pasture butter which is excellent. Their cultured butter is good too, and easier to find than Vermont Butter & Cheese cultured butter. We have an excellent local-ish (in state) organic dairy that doesn't irradiate the milk. I don't get it why so many organic dairies would put so much effort into producing the milk, then kill it with irradiation.

The rising cream in the 2% is just because it isn't homogenized, which is when they emulsify the fat so that it stays blended.

Thinking the omega 3 fortified milk would be primarily for kids...? Hard to get them to take a pill or a spoonful of fish oil.

& of course - how many of us have grabbed something off a store shelf we thought was the thing we wanted to buy, only to get home (or maybe, hopefully before paying) & see that it was not the same thing after all? Happens to me @ least once a month.

& FWIW, if you have a complaint about a product - it pays to contact the company directly, rather than the store where you bought it - & that is so much easier to do nowadays w/ email. I've done it plenty - always politely - & gotten some nice results (coupons, credits, free replacements) more often than not. Good companies pay attention to their customers.

Wegman's organic super yogurt has fish oil in it.