Ever notice that the organic milk at your local store has an expiration date that could be months away? That's ultra-pasteurization, baby.
If your milk is coming from a regional plant associated with regional dairies, then pasteurization is the way most producers do it. It tastes better, is easier for the dairy to process and comes with a state-mandated sell-by date 12 days to three weeks after pasteurization in the plant.
Milk that needs to travel — usually organic milk from national brands — is almost invariably ultra-pasteurized, where the milk is briefly brought to extreme high temperatures to kill bacteria. Ultra-pasteurized milk is more stable, so it has greatly extended time periods allowed for the sell-by date — useful for organic dairies that rely more on centralized than regional production. Some people think ultra-pasteurized milk is creamier, but many people feel it deadens the taste.
Which brings up the classic argument: Is fresh and local better than organic and shipped? Would you rather have hormones and better tasting milk or no hormones and milk that uses a heck of a lot of fossil fuels to get to you, maybe months after leaving the cow?
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2008.