Milk Facts

Milk Facts 

#1. Full cream:  Contains 4% milk fat

#2. Whole Milk:  Contains 3.5% milk fat and has a rich and creamy texture.

#3. 2% Low-fat Milk:  Contains 2% milk fat and is almost as popular as whole milk.

#4.1%Low-fat Milk:  Contains 1% milk fat.

#4. Skim Milk:  This is also called fat-free milk, contains less than one-half gram of fat per serving and is fortified with vitamin A and usually with vitamin D.

#5. Buttermilk:  Made by adding certain organisms to sweet milk to make a cultured sour milk.

#6. Chocolate Milk:  Usually made with low-fat or fat-free milk with cocoa and sweeteners added. Flavored milk is a good source of high-quality protein and offers children a package of essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D; it is considered a nutrient-rich beverage that supplies many of the nutrients that children commonly under-consume.

#7. Acidophilus Milk:  Made by adding a live bacteria culture to milk after pasteurization.

#8. Organic Milk:  Milk that comes from cows that have been exclusively fed organic feed, are kept in adequate space, are allowed periodic access to the outdoors and direct sunlight, are not treated with synthetic hormones and are not given certain medications to treat illness. The milk itself is identical to the milk produced conventionally.

#9. Pasteurized:   Milk that has been treated with heat to kill any germs.

#10. Ultra-Pasteurization:   Milk that is heated to at least 280 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two seconds. Ultra-pasteurization destroys all bacteria that may be present. Milk that has gone through this process must still be refrigerated, but lasts for two months.

#11. Homogenized:   Milk that is mixed so that the cream and water don’t separate, rendering a uniform consistency. Fortified:  Milk with vitamin D added (and vitamin A for low-fat and skim milk). Vitamin D is necessary to help the body absorb calcium and phosphorus in milk and other foods, and is important in decreasing the risk of osteoporosis. Approximately 98% of fluid milk in America is fortified with vitamin D.

#12. One quart of milk:  Weighs 2.151 pounds.

#13. One gallon of milk:  Weights 8.61 pounds.

#14. Refrigerate milk:  At 40°f  or less as soon as possible.