Tillamook cheese comes mostly from cows kept in concrete and dirt feedlots, not green pastures, lawsuit says (2024)

FAQs

Is Tillamook cheese made from grass fed cows? ›

Tillamook cheese comes mostly from cows kept in concrete and dirt feedlots, not green pastures, lawsuit says. Published: Aug.

Rather than living freely on the rolling green hills depicted in Tillamook advertising, the cows are artificially impregnated, have their calves ripped from them shortly after birth to stimulate milk production, and are continuously confined and milked by robotic carousels at this cement-floored factory farm.

Both Tillamook and Top Chef have championed sustainable farm practices, ethical treatment of animals and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In reality, Tillamook sources up to 80 percent of its milk from the largest dairy feedlot in the United States. Located in the desert of eastern Oregon, the facility that provides the majority of Tillamook's milk keeps 32,000 dairy cows (and more than 70,000 cows total) in inhumane, industrialized conditions.

His farm is on land purchased in Tillamook, Oregon in 1995 to raise and breed Holstein and Jersey cattle. Eventually converting to a 100% Jersey herd in 1998, the herd has grown from 80 to about 2200 cows.

We're made up of a group of farmer-owners. Many of these families have been farming in Tillamook County for multiple generations and have been committed to producing delicious, high-quality dairy products for over a century. We believe dairy farming isn't just a job, it is a way of life.

It's been a year since Oregon's Tillamook County Creamery Association won recognition as a Certified B Corporation for its sustainable and worker-friendly farming practices.

Milk from hobbyists and backyard animals

Extracting a small amount of milk and dairy from backyard cows, goats and sheep without forced breeding is the most ethical option.

“Tillamook's advertising campaigns are designed to mislead consumers that the company's products are sourced from humane, pasture-based, small-scale family farms, where animal care standards exceed those of other dairy companies. But this is far from reality.”

Do ethical dairy farms exist? ›

Thankfully, ethical dairy farms do exist. One of such places is the Long Dream Farm in Northern California, a family-owned, no-slaughter dairy farm, where the owners know the names of each individual cow.

Almarai from Saudi Arabia has the largest milk production with 1.47 million metric tons per year. This volume is similar to the milk production of Indonesia or Norway. Almarai has over 100,000 dairy cows.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist Dr. Joe Paschal says Texas has the largest cow herd in the U.S., including cattle, calves, and dairy cattle. He estimates the total at about 94 million head.

Velveeta may look like cheese and taste like cheese, but it is technically classified as a "pasteurized process cheese product." Originally, Velveeta was made from real cheese, but that is no longer the case.

Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated.

Angus Cattle

Angus beef has become all the rage in recent years thanks to its well-marbled meat, which typically earns Prime or Choice grades from the USDA and is usually the highest-quality meat available in grocery stores.

Tillamook Cheddar is an American cheese, made from a quality blend of cow's milk. This milk mixture has the right amount of protein and butterfat. At the creamery, the milk is given heat shock treatment to ensure the protection of the beneficial enzymes in the milk, while also killing harmful bacteria.

Qin Yinglin (Chinese: 秦英林; pinyin: Qín Yīnglín, born 1965) is a Chinese agriculture tycoon, billionaire, Communist Party member, and the world's richest farmer. He is the chair and president of the pig farming company Muyuan Foodstuff and is one of the richest people in China. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, ...

Bill Gates, the fourth richest person in the world and a self-described nerd who is known for his early programming skills rather than his love of the outdoors, has been quietly snatching up 242,000 acres of farmland across the U.S. — enough to make him the top private farmland owner in America.

Who is Tillamook owned by? ›

It could be a little, or it could be a lot. In addition, all certified organic cows are grass-fed—in a general sense—because the National Organic Program requires organic cows to receive 30% of their diet from pasture during the grazing season.

All Tillamook products are made with pasteurized milk and cream, with the exception of our aged cheeses.

They also make yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. However, Tillamook also produces some of the best ice creams in the world. They are well-respected as ice cream, as they use more cream, higher quality ingredients, and less air than other popular ice cream brands.

The most similar in composition to human milk is horse and donkey milk. It contains considerably more whey proteins (35-50%) than cow milk (about 20%), and the concentration of the most allergenic casein fraction αs1 is 1.5-2.5 g/l.

Low- or non-fat dairy — Skim or 1% milk contains all the protein, vitamins and minerals that whole milk contains, but it has much less saturated fat. This type of milk is typically more heart-healthy than full-fat milk.

Tillamook Ice Creamery pays $21.89 an hour, on average. Have more questions?

We insist on working only with best-in-class partners including dairy farmers, production facilities and distribution centers. The vast majority (more than 90 percent) of Tillamook Cheeses are made at our cheesemaking factories in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon.

All of the ingredients for each of our flavors and products are listed on Tillamook.com as well. Hi Cathy, thank you for reaching out! We do not use any carrageen in our product.

Are Trader Joe's eggs ethical? ›

Currently at Trader Joe's, nearly 60% of the eggs we sell are cage-free. So TJ's does not stock any pasture-raised eggs and over 40% of their eggs come from hens raised in cages. These hens live their entire lives in a space equivalent to a letter-sized sheet of paper and have no ability to do normal things.

Private‐label, or store‐brand eggs come from grocers or distributors who have the obvious desire of wanting to grow their presence in the organic marketplace. These brands typically get their eggs wholesale and re-label them under their own brand name without direct interaction with farmers.

The dairy industry has no use for male calves, so they're either sold for beef, sent to veal facilities, or shot shortly after they're born.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, per capita fluid milk consumption has plummeted 40 percent since 1975. That year, Americans drank 247 pounds of milk per person. In 2018, that number dropped to 146. As milk consumption has declined, dairy farms are shutting down.

In dairy farming, calves are usually separated from their mothers very quickly, sometimes within hours of birth. This is done both to harvest the cow's milk for human consumption, and also because it's thought that isolating the calves is safer for them.

The wealthiest farmer in the United States lives and farms in California. Stewart Resnick, 81, owner of The Wonderful Company and 65 percent of the nation's pistachios, has had a distinct and sweeping effect on agriculture in the Golden State. Throughout his life, he's rarely given interviews.

The total number of milk cows on farms in the United States shows that California holds a significant share of the total number of milk cows in the country. Unsurprisingly, California is also the leading milk producing state in the United States.

India is the world's largest milk producer, with 22 percent of global production, followed by the United States of America, China, Pakistan and Brazil. Since the 1970s, most of the expansion in milk production has been in South Asia, which is the main driver of milk production growth in the developing world.

Most U.S. dairy cows are Holsteins, a breed that tends to produce more milk per cow than other breeds.

The salaries of Dairy Farmers in the US range from $19,285 to $113,140 , with a median salary of $33,110 . The middle 50% of Dairy Farmers makes $29,059, with the top 83% making $113,140.

What county is the #1 dairy county in the world? ›

India is the largest milk-producing country in the world. The country is trailed by the United States, which is the second largest producer, in milk production by a large margin. India is unique among the major milk producers because more than half of its production comes from water buffalo, rather than cattle.

Bill and Melinda Gates amassed 242,000 acres of land in the US, with the largest holdings in Louisiana (69,071 acres), Arkansas (47,927 acres) and Nebraska (20,588 acres), according to The Land report.

1. John Malone The cable tycoon has 2.2 million acres stretching from Wyoming to Maine. One of his crown jewels is the Bell Ranch, a 290,100-acre cattle empire.

Grassmilk® cheese is made from 100% grass-fed cow milk. These cows graze on pastures all day and never eat supplemental grains. Then the milk is minimally processed to preserve flavor and consistency—making our cheese even more delicious.

Our Tillamook Cheddar Cheese recipe contains four natural ingredients: cultured milk, enzymes (rennet), salt, and annatto. Annatto is a natural coloring extracted from the seeds of annatto trees grown in the tropics; it is responsible for that beautiful Tillamook Cheddar yellow color!

*All farmers who supply milk for Tillamook products pledge not to use artificial growth hormones. The FDA has stated that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST treated and non-rBST treated cows.

At this time, we don't offer certified organic products. We are, however, committed to making the highest quality dairy products in the most natural way possible.

A boneless breast of chicken seasoned to perfection, hand-breaded, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips, Green Leaf lettuce, tomato and processed Cheddar cheese.

A long list of cheeses fall under the category of unprocessed or "all-natural," including Havarti, Swiss, Colby, Gruyere, Manchego and most Cheddars.

What cheese does not use cows milk? ›

These cheeses include: mould-ripened soft cheeses like brie or camembert. ripened goats' milk cheese like chèvre. soft blue-veined cheese, such as roquefort.

5 Ingredients

This product should be egg free, msg free, peanut free, no artificial colors, sugar free, no artificial flavors, vegetarian, nut free, no artificial ingredients, corn free, gluten free, and soy free.

And have you wondered Why Tillamook Cheese Is Good For Your Smile? Well, it is 100% real cheese made with high quality milk and no preservatives.

Tillamook Cheddar is an American cheese, made from a quality blend of cow's milk. This milk mixture has the right amount of protein and butterfat. At the creamery, the milk is given heat shock treatment to ensure the protection of the beneficial enzymes in the milk, while also killing harmful bacteria.

The use of rBST in dairy cows has been shown to increase the concentrations of IGF-1, a protein naturally found in milk. Though research is mixed on the extent to which dairy consumption is linked to increased cancer risk, higher blood levels of IGF-1 have been linked to increased risk for pre-menopausal breast cancer.

“We've listened to customers and are pleased that our suppliers are helping us offer Great Value milk from cows that are not treated with rbST.” Wal-Mart's entire dairy selection – including organic and conventional offerings – meets USDA and FDA standards.

Jill: Tillamook offers two types of butter. We have our 81% Unsalted Butter, which is just two ingredients - natural cream with natural flavorings. We also offer our Salted Butter which is now made with our natural sea salt and cream.