Fresh food you can trust: Why we shop this organic brand

As a parent, there is no escaping the fact that our children are miraculously made. To transform from two cells into a living, breathing human is simply amazing—and our job is to foster that growth and development as best as we possibly can. That involves food. Lots and lots of food.

So, it feels like hitting the jackpot when you find an organic food brand that you can trust is nourishing your children while also being a good steward in the world. That’s exactly what happened when my family discovered Organic Valley shortly after my first child was born.

Until that point, I had been casually interested in eating organic foods. This reached back to my early teenage years when my eyes were opened to the poor treatment of many farm animals, which then became painfully hard to ignore when driving past feedlots near my home in Nebraska. Determined to do better by animals, I became a vegetarian who continued to eat dairy and eggs held to high production standards.

But it wasn’t until my first child began eating solids that I really got it: The best organic foods for kids should also contribute to the health of the planet. After all, the next generation is going to inherit a world shaped by the choices we make today. That includes those decisions at the grocery store.

Now, for the funny part: This revelation happened when I was about to introduce cow’s milk into my son’s diet. So, the next time I was in the grocery store, I stopped in the dairy aisle and made note of all the different brands. Then I actually did my research to see which milk provider met my standards—and all signs pointed to Organic Valley. (Yes, I’m that person!)

As I was soon pleasantly surprised to discover, those same standards hold for their other products, like eggs, cheese, butter and more. Basically, with Organic Valley, I never have to second-guess the standards of production, the treatment of the animals, or the quality of the organic foods for families like mine. Meanwhile, my three young kids have a whole different set of criteria for the food they eat with the No. 1 priority being it must taste delicious—and Organic Valley is one brand we all agree on.

My grocery shopping haul generally includes multiple gallons of milk, considering how much my kids love guzzling the organic milk from pasture-raised cows. A far cry from the watery, generic skim milk I reluctantly drank as a kid, the Organic Valley options are deliciously creamy. Honestly, I didn’t even know milk could taste so good until I tried Organic Valley! Just as important, it gives me real peace of mind to know that Organic Valley is committed to providing the best animal care by giving their animals plenty of time outside to eat natural grass.

Organic Valley

As most moms can relate to, I have limited time to spend in the grocery store. I certainly don’t want to spend those precious minutes reading the fine print on labels. So it sure does help to know that Organic Valley farmers never use added hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, or GMOs, and the finished Organic Valley products don’t contain any artificial ingredients or fillers. What do they use? Pure, organic ingredients that are naturally higher in antioxidants and nutrients. Honestly, it’s a difference my family can taste.

As my kids get older, they’ve also become more curious about the food we eat. When they ask questions about how cheese is made or where we got our eggs, I can give them a straight answer. That’s not always the case in traditional food manufacturing, so I’m grateful Organic Valley never uses hormones or antibiotics.

The benefits extend well beyond my family, too. As an organic food cooperative, Organic Valley supports family farms around the country while empowering those farmers to pursue environmentally friendly practices. For the sake of my kids’ futures on this earth, I appreciate Organic Valley’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to solar renewable power, using biofuel and practicing regenerative farming.

Discovering Organic Valley felt like the best win-win scenario: Each and every product tastes great and leaves my family feeling great about our impact on the world, too.

Explore Organic Valley’s products in your local grocery store and learn more on their website.

This article was sponsored by Organic Valley. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Motherly and mamas.