Please Enlighten Milk.

I am confused. With 3 kids in the house, and 4 liters of milk they drink per week, I need to be enlightened about a few things.

First, why is Fortified Milk so much cheaper than Fresh Milk? P16.00 difference is quite a big jump.

Secondly, is cow's milk better than carabao's milk? My mom used to by us Fresh Carabao's milk from ARCE Dairy. I just inquired and they are still selling them at P117/liter. If indeed, carabao's milk is better, then I wouldn't mind paying this amount.


Based on buzzle.com, they define Fortified Milk as such:

The obvious question that comes to our mind is - what does fortified milk mean? According to a standard definition, fortified milk is - Pasteurized milk enriched with one or more nutrients, usually some important vitamins like vitamin A and D, that has been standardized at 400 International Units per quart. According to the same definition, fortified milk is nothing, but milk that is made stronger by adding extra nutrients and minerals, especially vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin B complex. You can also find calcium fortified milk which also contains significant traces of iron. Regular whole milk (8oz cup) is fortified at about 100 IUs concentration to get fortified milk.

VS.

Fresh milk:
In the Philippines, in most places, UHT milk is the only milk you can buy from the stores. UHT stands for either "ultra-high temperature processing" or "ultra-heat treatment", whichever you prefer. UHT milk was invented in the 1960s, became generally available in the 1970s.

Dairy fresh milk has a very limited shelf life requiring refrigeration and usually only for few days. The reason? The milk is only pasteurized and homogenized. UHT milk, on the other hand, has a shelf life of six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened and refrigerated, that shelf life reduces to a few days, but then it's already being consumed. Dairy fresh milk will go bad in the refrigerator even if unopened, within two weeks.

OR

is drinking milk even at all good for us? Read more on NOT.MILK.

To milk or not to milk? That is the cow-estion.

Seriously, if you know the answer, I would really like to be enlightened. Thank you!