Low Fat Milk

What's new with cows? This week marked the Southern California debut of Horizon Organic Milk from so-called "drug-free" cows. The milk, available at Ralph's and at natural-foods stores, is described by its makers as "fresh, crisp and clean"--free of pesticides, drugs and growth hormones. But there's another new milk out there--one that won't be showing up in natural-foods stores--from the self-described "dairy brand for the '90s" . . . Butterfinger.

The state attorney general's office has filed a motion seeking to overturn the recent California appellate court decision allowing the sale of cheaper, unenriched milk in California. In its motion, the state argues that by allowing Phoenix-based Shamrock Foods Co. to sell its unenriched milk in California, the court is actually striking down the state's minimum standards for nutrition, standards that were enforced in 1996 legislation. The appellate court has until Sept.

"I'm new to California and thrilled with the fresh vegetables," Claire Bradley writes. "I love cream soups but can't afford the calories. This soup has the richness and texture of a cream soup from the pureed zucchini, but the health benefits of new California cooking. My friends love it. I made it up from what was on hand one lunchtime when I felt like having soup and was on a diet."

While the 1984 harvest is expected to reach 50.9 million tons, up 9% over 1983, gross receipts are expected to increase by less than 1% from the previous year's $13.5 billion, with net cash income remaining near 1983's $3.78 billion, the state Department of Food and Agriculture reported. Consumer demand for fresh produce continued to grow, raising production to a record 14.5 million tons, up 8%, while fruit and nut crops declined 8% to 10.3 million tons.

Want to eat lighter this holiday season? A toll-free number will be staffed by nutritionists throughout December to offer tips on making favorite recipes healthier. Sponsored by the Cumberland Packing Corp., a maker of leading sugar, butter and salt substitutes, the hot line will suggest ways of reducing calories and increasing fiber in favorite holiday foods without sacrificing taste.

San Diego stores this week will be the first in the nation to market a new type of milk, richer in calcium, with "today's fit, health-conscious woman" in mind. Vital 15 was developed by the California Milk Advisory Board and is being introduced with a $1.3-million promotional campaign.

California's milk standards will come under scrutiny today in a joint hearing held by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Agriculture and Water Resources Committee at 10 a.m in the New State Building, downtown Los Angeles. Nutritionists, economists and state welfare representatives will discuss the nutritional differences between California's enriched milk and out-of-state milk and the impact on prices and public health. Public comment will be heard.

Three of every four college-age women, whose bones are still developing, have low-calcium diets that contribute to lower bone mass, according to a North Carolina health researcher. In a study of 90 women ages 18 to 24, including many college students, 75% had low-calcium diets and low bone mineral density, increasing their risk of osteoporosis later in life, according to Dr. John B. Anderson of the University of North Carolina Health Sciences Center.

A 21-year-old North Hollywood woman recently contracted brucellosis, an uncommon disease, after consuming raw milk, according to a recent report by the Los Angeles County Health Services Department. The non-pasteurized dairy product was listed as the only known risk factor suspected of transmitting the potentially fatal bacteria, according to an article in the county's Public Health Letter.