Why does Organic Milk have a Longer Shelf Life?

There has been question about why organic milk has a longer shelf life than regular milk, and yes it does last longer. But why is this?? It has to do with how the milk is processed. Organic milk has to travel thousands of miles for it to reach its distributors. For the milk to survive the long journey, it is processed differently. The farmers pasteurize the milk at a high temperature than regular milk.



Now nearly all milk is pasteurized or heat treated to kill off disease causing microbes. Typically milk is heated to 161 degrees Fahrenheit. Organic milk is pasteurized at about 200 degrees, and this destroys more of the organisms responsible for spoiling milk. With those organisms gone, organic milk can last 25 to 40 days longer than conventional milk.



If farmers know this is true, then why don't they do this to all milk? The answer to that is the extra heating is expensive. It can also leave the milk with a cooked or scorched flavor. The other important thing is, once organic milk is opened, it has the same shelf life as regular milk. It can go bad just as quickly, the extra days that it can last only apply to it before it is opened.