What's in your milk?

Why is cheese waste ending up in my milk?

The Food Standards Code allows manufacturers to add "milk components" to their milk as long as the total fat level remains at least 3.2% (for full-cream milk) and the protein at least 3% (for any milk). Manufacturers dilute milk with permeate (a solution of minerals and lactose) that's a by-product of cheese - see the milk production flow chart on the next page.

Manufacturers tell us that standardisation of milk ensures a consistent product year round, but adding permeate also makes milk cheaper to produce. Manufacturers aren't required to list permeate on the ingredients list, although those that don't use permeate may state this on the product label.

If you'd prefer to buy milk without added permeate, look for products with "permeate free" claims on the label.

The truth about milk

Since Coles slashed the price of its homebrand milk to $1 a litre in January 2011, the ensuing price war has prompted a government inquiry to find if lower prices will affect the farm gate and the quality of our milk. In the wake of these concerns, CHOICE conducted a taste test to see if participants could taste the difference between premium brand milk and the cheaper supermarket brands.

The taste test 

We had 30 CHOICE staffers to do a blind taste test of 12 milks:

• 6 reduced fat milks - 3 premium and 3 supermarket brand
• 6 full cream milks - 3 premium and 3 supermarket brand.

Testers didn’t know which one they were tasting beyond whether it was full cream or reduced fat – and the results are surprising.

They found a greater taste difference between different brands of reduced fat milks than between brands of full cream milk. This may be because the reduced fat milks we tested had more differences in sugar and fat levels than the full cream ones (see the table below).

For both the full cream and reduced fat categories, in terms of those who liked the taste, supermarket brand milks scored at least as well as branded products in every case. For drinking taste their quality does not appear to have been compromised.

Then and now: how the milks compare

Our 2009 milk investigation featured a nutritional analysis of nearly 40 milk products. What we found is that for all types of milk, the generic brands are the cheapest, and on average contain much the same levels of protein, fat and calcium as the big brands.

Comparing milk now with those we analysed in 2009, little has changed. All the milks meet the Food Standards Code’s minimum requirements for fat and protein content, sitting pretty close to the minimums.

Key

Total Fat: <3g = ; 3.1g – 19.9g = ; <20g =
Saturated Fat: <1.5g = ; 1.6g – 4.9g = ; <5g =
Sugars: <5g = ; 5.1g – 14.9g = ; <15g =
Sodium: <120mg = ; 121mg – 599mg = ; <600mg =

Full Cream

Product	Energy (Kj/100mL)	Protein (g/100mL)	Total fat (g/100mL)	Saturated fat. (g/100mL)	Sugar (g/100mL)	Sodium (mg/100mL)	Calcium (mg/100mL)	Price (per unit)	Volume (L) per unit	Price per litre ($)
Farmdale Full Cream (Aldi)	271	3.3	3.6	2.4	4.8	58	123	2.89	3	0.96
Dairy Farmers Original Milk	272	3.2	3.6	2.4	4.9	44	114	5.16	3	1.72
Coles Full Cream Milk	272	3.2	3.6	2.4	4.9	44	114	3	3	1.00
Woolworths Homebrand Milk	265	3.2	3.4	2.2	4.9	44	114	3	3	1.00
Pura Milk	273	3.3	3.6	2.3	5	30	113	4.89	3	1.63
Pure Organic Full Cream Milk	288	3.2	4.1	2.7	4.8	58	123	5.12	2	2.56

Reduced fat

Product	Energy (Kj/100mL)	Protein (g/100mL)	Total fat (g/100mL)	Saturated fat (g/100mL)	Sugar (g/100mL)	Sodium (mg/100mL)	Calcium (mg/100mL)	Price (per unit)	Volume (L) per unit	Price per litre ($)
Woolworths Lite	193	3.3	1.4	0.9	5	43	124	3	3	1.00
Coles Lite Milk	193	3.3	1.4	0.9	5	43	114	3	3	1.00
Farmdale Light	221	4.2	1.3	0.9	6.1	43	141	2.89	3	0.96
Dairy Farmers Lite White	198	3.6	1.4	0.9	5.2	48	126	4.77	2	2.39
Dairy Farmers New	214	3.4	2	1.3	4.9	43	122	3.69	2	1.85
Pauls Smarter White Milk	237	4	2	1.3	5.6	67	145	3.74	2	1.87

The coffee myth

Some baristas would have you believe that cheaper milks – like the supermarket brand products – will give you a poorer quality coffee as the milk doesn’t froth as well. They say the lower fat content of supermarket brand milks is responsible. But our analysis says otherwise.

To confirm our findings, we asked our resident coffee expert and coffee machine tester for his opinion. He said there is some variability in milk according to season, but regardless of whether it’s homebrand or premium you should be able to get a good foam – so rest assured, your morning cappuccino is safe. He steamed the supermarket brand variety for us and we couldn’t tell the difference.

CHOICE verdict

While there is concern around the quality of our milk and the impact of the milk war, our taste test shows that supermarket brand products can taste as good to drink as their more expensive counterparts. It seems that consumers are not sacrificing drinking taste when choosing supermarket brand milk.

We believe the backlash around the milk war relates to broader issues around competition in Australia’s grocery sector. Read CHOICE Campaigns Manager Matt Levey's blog on this issue. We have made a submission to the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry on the impacts of supermarket price decisions on the dairy industry, questioning whether the $1-a-litre discounts are a sign of genuine and healthy competition.

In our view consumers do not win if short-term discounting reduces product choice or undermines milk quality in the medium or long term. But for now, you can be confident that regardless of your purchasing choice, you are getting a good milk product.