When we vote with our wallets in the grocery store, it’s not just the planet that benefits. In almost every case, the best food for the environment is also the healthiest option for human consumption. The same is true for milk.

Sustainable isn’t always cheap, so don’t beat yourself up for not making every choice with the good of the gorillas in mind. But if you’re looking for some guidance when navigating the jungles of the dairy aisle, here are some tips that can help you make a conscious choice for your family:

What to Look For

1. Organic Certification: It’s healthier for us, because cows are never fed hormones or treated with antibiotics, and they’re only fed organic feed — free from synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. It’s healthier for the planet because organic farming creates healthier soil. Some organic dairies have even developed methods to capture the methane produced by cows and turn it into energy.
2. Canadian Content: Canadian dairy cows are not allowed to be fed any hormones or antibiotics, nor are they allowed any additives other than vitamins A and D. But milk sold in Canada is allowed to mix in American content, which is allowed to contain all of those things. If you look for labels that state “100% Canadian,” this eliminates the major risks, and is a healthy second choice to organic. (And much more affordable.)
3. Grass-Fed: Bonus option to either of the above. Look for milk from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows. This enhances the flavor and nutritional content (including more omega-3 fatty acids) and supports sustainable farming practices.

What Are We Avoiding?

The main culprits — found in U.S. milk, which is in dairy aisles in Canada also — are:

• Antibiotics: There can be residues in the milk if a cow was treated with antibiotics. If we drink enough of them, they can create antibiotic resistance (so when we need to treat our own infections, antibiotics are less effective).
• Preservatives: To prolong shelf life, some milk contains additives like potassium sorbate — which is banned in Europe because it’s believed to be toxic to DNA and harmful to immunity.
• Hormones: Conventional American dairy farms use synthetic hormones like rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) to increase milk production. These disrupt human hormone balance, and can cause health issues like early onset puberty, hormone-related cancers, and more. For me, this is the big reason I’m careful about the milk I put in my fridge.

Container Chemistry

How milk is packaged impacts its nutrition and sustainability:

• Plastic Containers: Look for BPA-free (Bisphenol A) plastics if you’re buying milk in plastic. BPA can mimic estrogen and other hormones in the body.
• Cartons: While cartons used to be lined with wax, they’re now lined with a thin layer of polyethylene plastic. In both cases, it’s only a tiny amount of plastic that finds its way into the milk — but if you want to avoid drinking microplastics, go with:
• Glass: The best choice — both for the planet and for human health.

Cows and Methane

One of the main reasons that many environmentalists avoid meat and dairy is the greenhouse gas emissions. When digesting, cows produce methane — a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change.

Unfortunately, organic farming isn’t better than conventional farming in this way.

The truly ethical future lies in regenerative agriculture — a method of farming that focuses on leaving the land better for them having been there. It can be expensive and labor-intensive, but its holistic approach ensures that soil is healthy, carbon is sequestered, and animals are living their best lives.

I’ll write a longer post about this soon — it’s complex and interesting and would be a beautiful way of the future if more farms can find a way to adopt this method and not lose their shirt. In the meantime, here’s what some dairy farmers in Canada are doing to minimize their footprint.

Frustrating Side Note

We used to be able to shop freely for milk in Canada until 2018, when we signed the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which gives American dairy farmers access to 3.5% of the Canadian dairy market.

3.5% is not a lot, but it muddies the water for consumers, who now have to be savvy shoppers for a product that we could once trust.

Final Thoughts

Pure, Canadian milk is pretty healthy. If you read labels to make sure you’re buying 100% Canadian milk (no American content mixed in), you can be confident that you’re giving your family a good drink for a good price.

If you’re reading this in the United States, I’d strongly recommend organic.

What I’ve been buying at home lately is organic milk in glass bottles. I haven’t found a regenerative dairy that sells to our local grocery stores, but for now, I’m happy with the milk from Avalon Dairy. There’s a hefty container deposit ($2.75 for a 2L bottle), but they’re easy to return. (I put mine into my shopping bags, and return them at the checkout when I’m paying for my groceries.)

My sustainable step for this week? To extend my label-reading to other dairy products where milk is a main ingredient. I just noticed that the cheese I’ve been buying — Costco’s Kirkland brand — is “made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients.”

Whatever choices you make, and however far you take them, may your journey be udderly delicious.