Why Organic Milk Lasts Longer

We recently switched to organic milk to avoid the growth hormones and antibiotics found in regular milk. We also discovered an additional benefit. Organic milk is much "longer date" than regular milk, often having a printed expiration date lasting well beyond a month from purchase. I wasn't sure exactly why this was the case, so I consulted my research pal, google. Turns out the reason organic milk lasts longer has nothing to do with it being organic. Rather, it is due to the ultra-pastuerization process which heats the milk to 280 degrees Fahrenheit for a few seconds killing all bacteria. This is a higher temperature than is used in normal pasteurization, which does not kill all bacteria in milk (only enough to prevent disease). Ultra-pastuerization is needed with organic milk because the methods for transporting it to market are less efficient, so it needs to have a longer shelf life. Since we are often slow to consume an entire container of milk, the switch to organic has meant that we never dump the stuff down the drain anymore.