• Consumers cannot necessarily recognize grass-fed milk from the product name.
  • The statements about the length of pasture were different, sometimes vaguely worded or missing entirely.
  • The origin of the milk is difficult for consumers to understand. This makes purchasing regional milk more difficult. Pasture milk is still a long way from “complete traceability”.

In stores, consumers come across a variety of fresh milk that advertises pasture-raised milk or that suggests this. What makes matters worse is that the term “grazing” is not legally defined at all. A large number of private sector seals mean that research must be carried out before purchasing.

There is a desire for regional products, especially when it comes to milk. Since dairy cows on pasture are not an everyday sight in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, consumers are faced with the question of where the commercially available pasture milk comes from.

Pasture milk is not always recognizable by the product name

Of the 20 products that turned out to be pasture milk, nine had the term “pasture” in the product name, and four times the use of pasture was mentioned exclusively in information texts on the packaging. What was particularly confusing for consumers was that only half of the organic products mentioned pasture in the product name or text.

Different statements about the length of pasture are confusing

Statements about the duration of grazing could be found in the information text on the packaging. The grazing period was guaranteed for “at least 120 days for 6 hours” on six products. Four times the statement was rather vague, for example it was “with grazing” or “a lot of grazing”.

Difficult to find locally produced pasture milk

Statements about the origin of the milk were made seventeen times, in the product name, through information texts or seals. The north or northern Germany was mentioned eight times. You could also buy “regional Franconian” pasture milk in Rostock. Since an indication of origin on fresh milk is not required, the only information that can be used as the best information is the identity mark of the bottling dairy. However, it is not clear where exactly the milk comes from.

A QR code was printed on four products for traceability. During the research, however, this usually led to a radius around the dairy or to a group of dairy farms.

Seal diversity does not always contribute to transparency

Almost all products carried one to five seals for husbandry, feeding or animal welfare. The seal “Without Genetic Engineering” was found most frequently (15 times) in the market check. The ProWeideland seal was recorded three times and the Pro Planet label “For more animal welfare”, which has a similar claim, was recorded twice. Milk with the animal protection label from the German Animal Welfare Association was found five times. Here, however, only the premium level requires grazing in summer.

Informed shopping is not easy when it comes to grass-fed milk:

  • There is no legal definition for the term pasture milk.
  • The organic regulation remains vague when it comes to the length of pasture.
  • Extensive research is necessary before purchasing.
  • Finding locally produced pasture milk remains difficult.
  • The tools for traceability can still be improved.
  • A variety of seals does not necessarily contribute to transparency.

Source: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Consumer Center

This might also be of interest: Is “climate-neutral milk” at Aldi just a marketing trick?


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