ORGANIC milk is healthier than standard pasteurised milk, scientists have said in a call on the Government to revise official advice.

A letter written by 14 scientists that was received today by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) claims that organic milk has higher levels of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, which are thought to boost health and provide protection from coronary heart disease. The authors of the letter want the FSA to change its stance on organic milk and “recognise that there are differences that exist between organic and nonorganic milk” .

But the FSA said: “On the basis of current evidence, the agency’s assessment is that organic food is not significantly different in terms of food safety and nutrition from food produced conventionally.”

A spokeswoman for the government agency said that she could not predict whether the letter would alter the position of the FSA as it would need time to examine the evidence.

She said: “The agency has not yet seen the detail of this research but we will certainly study it carefully in the usual way, seeking independent expert advice as necessary.”

The main authors of the letter, Kathryn Ellis, Monika Mihm and Giles Innocent, from the University of Glasgow, cite their own research into the differences, along with other studies. They say that they found higher levels of the important fatty acids in organic milk in their study of 36 UK farms.

Organic milk has previously been shown to contain higher levels of vitamin E and anti- oxidants, which also help to beat infections.

But the scientists’ main argument relates to the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 acids. Dr Ellis and her colleagues say that the ratio in organic milk is better for health, as UK diets tend to contain too much Omega 6 compared with Omega 3. The letter, addressed to Dame Deirdre Hutton, chairwoman of the FSA, explains: “In our opinion, previous statements by the Food Standards Agency regarding the lack of difference in composition between organic and non-organic milk would now appear to warrant revision in relation to milk produced in the UK.”

The study was sponsored by the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative, but was carried out independently.

Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, said that he agreed with the scientists’ letter. He said: “We fully support Dr Ellis’s letter to the FSA.

“We hope that the weight of scientific evidence and support from the leading scientists in this field will encourage the agency to recognise that consumers have a right to know that there is a significant difference between the two types of milk.”

Dr Ellis said that her findings were not compromised by the fact that the study was sponsored by the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative.

“The work we conducted was a three-year PhD study so it is an independent piece. There are quite strict regulations concerning studies conducted at universities.”

Eleven other scientists from universities and research centres in Britain, Italy and America have also added their signatures to the letter, she said.

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