Our promise: Canadian milk, the Canadian way

Article 4 min

Real food is real delicious. That’s why we make sure Canadian milk standards are strict and among the highest in the world. So, how do we keep it real and produce top-notch milk? We asked Canadian dairy farmers to tell us in their own words what makes Canadian milk so special.

By DFC - PLC, Communications Team

Highlights

  • Canadian dairy starts with great quality feed for the cows
  • Canadian dairy is produced with care, safety and sustainability at it’s core
  • Canadian dairy follows strict standards, regulations and testing before it reaches the consumer
  • The blue cow logo ensures you have high quality, Canadian dairy

As Canadian farmers, we know where our milk comes from and all the hard work that goes into making it simple yet wonderful – but do you? Our milk is made with Canadian values in mind. It’s our promise to you. When you buy milk and dairy products bearing the Canadian milk Blue Cow Logo, here’s what you can expect.   

Grassroots goodness

Goodness starts from the ground up, like providing quality feed for our animals and making the best use of what nature provides for us. For farmers like Jeremy, sustainability comes naturally: “You do it every day.” It’s making organic fertilizer from cow manure, as well as rotating crops to return nutrients to the soil – to grow better, more nutritious feed for the cows. And Jeremy’s not the only one. “With organic fertilizer and crop rotation, we’re trying to minimize our carbon footprint,” explains Jacob, adding that “Dairy farmers are always looking for more ways to become more sustainable.” 

Jacob, a Canadian farmer in his barn
“The blue cow logo represents a number of different things: the excellence in dairy farms, the quality of the product that we put out, and the integrity that dairy farmers have with the animal health, environment, sustainability, and everything else that we do,” says Jacob.

For Canadians, by Canadians

Canadians sometimes forget that dairy farming is still very much a family business for the majority of farms across Canada. “We don’t have to grow into mega farms. We can still have a sustainable, small farm,” says Jeremy who milks about 50 cows with his wife. He credits this to our Canadian system, which operates under a supply management framework. 

For Jacob, this way of working helps our farmers produce milk responsibly: “I think it's just the law of sustainability for the future. We’re not trying to make an abundance of products that then we need to find markets for. We are only producing for ourselves and we’re only trying to feed the consumers who are growing in our country.” Producing milk with Canadian values in mind is important to our farmers, because their product is for you.  
 

Richard and Michelle, dairy farmers from Manitoba
“The blue cow logo represents to me that it’s Canadian farmers who produced this milk for this dairy product. They did it with their families, they did it with their community. Everyone got involved and produced this milk together,” says Michelle, who farms with husband and business partner Richard.

All about that Canadian goodness

“It just tastes like quality,” says Jacob, echoing the words of many proud dairy farmers – and with good reason too. In addition to embodying our farmers’ commitment to animal care and sustainability, Canadian milk is produced following strict quality standards to ensure it’s pure, fresh, and safe to enjoy. “Milk is tested rigorously before it gets to the store,” says Richard about our quality controls, which include zero tolerance for antibiotics in the milk we ship. “We want to make sure that it’s not going to happen.” 

Quality is something our farmers are extremely proud of, but it’s what you’d expect from family farms. “You’re drinking milk and you’re buying cheese, and you’re eating yogurt – and you want the best, so we strive for the best out there,” says Michelle.

Our dairy farmers truly live by their product, and our standards ensure Canadian milk is produced with care, safety, and sustainability at its core. “It’s wholesome Canadian dairy. I don’t know how else to say it,” says Jeremy. But what’s the best way to serve Canadian milk? “Drink it cold. That’s always a plus,” he replies with a smirk.