Is organic milk really good for you? The jury's still out
Organically produced milk is now a common sight on Hong Kong supermarket shelves, but scientists are divided over its benefits
As recently as a few years ago, finding organic milk in Hong Kong took some effort. These days, not only is it a fixture on supermarket shelves, you even have a choice of at least five brands.
In China, the organic raw milk supply is forecast to grow an average of 53.5 per cent year-on-year between 2013 and 2018, from 0.174 million tonnes to 1.48 million tonnes, according to market research firm Frost & Sullivan. This parallels the projected growth of China's organic-food market, estimated to increase from 32.7 billion yuan (US$5.3 billion) retail market value in 2013 to 144.6 billion yuan in 2018.
Perhaps the surest sign that organic milk has become big business in this region: since July of last year, Shengmu - China's largest organic dairy company and the only one that meets EU organic standards - has been listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
This growth in demand stems from rising disposable income, increasing health awareness among consumers, and the growing availability of organic food with the development of distribution channels, says the Frost & Sullivan report.
But is organic milk really better for us, or are people blinded by the organic description? A recent study by the University of Reading in the UK suggests organic milk is less healthy than regular milk in terms of iodine content. Compared with conventionally produced milk, the study found that organic milk contains around a third less iodine, which is essential for a strong metabolism.
Iodine is also known to be essential for healthy fetal brain development, especially in the early stages of pregnancy.