Quality difference between milk "brands"?

[javacontour]

I am not 100% sure if they won't run different formulations for different labels. At least in my line of work they do things by using different components or configurations to save some money here or more performance there, like 15% more will double the life or 20% more will double the performance.

One thing I do see is they do not deliver every day or consistent to the day. The expiration date is not always predictable, and they run discounts here and there in Safeway based on demand and supply in other produce. Organic strawberries and blueberries especially, you can really see the difference in price and quality based on local weather. Also you see the same farm put different labels on the box based on the quality, like Driscolli or some other unheard of brands based on the rating, etc.

Also in school lunches (free) they frequently try to stuff in extra milk or juice depends on which one they need to get rid off asap. I've had milk boxes that are 3 days from Best By date from school and then a few days with fruit punches and no milk, etc.

I don't know, I can see if one store having 1 store brand being consistent quality, but multiple store brands, that's kind of odd (Lucerne and Value Corner).

Maybe it's different where you are. Here, a number of dairy farmers were told their milk was no longer needed. Just not the same demand for milk.

Not much margin if Aldi and WalMart can sell a gallon of milk for less than $2.

Sometimes, closer to $1 than to $2.

I would imagine for milk, they make one product and slap a different label on it. The format for something like 2% vitamin D milk is set by the USDA, so it’s probably pretty much the same.

Now I’m talking about mass production commercial dairies, not someone who advertises pampered cows giving organic milk and pasteurized with special crystals.

The real money is probably in butter, ice cream and cheeses.

 

[97prizm]

I've always noticed a "cleaner" taste with organic milk like Organics or Horizon Organic milk. My sister swears she can't taste any differences. My parents ordered from a local dairy when I was a kid. It still is the hands down best milk I've ever had. Prices really are all over, it's pretty suprising everything from $1.99 for great value to $7.99 for horizon organic.

 

[adams355]

Any of you lot tried the A2 milk it originated in Australia but is being produced in the US now as well. Best milk I have tried even over organic. Superb in latte and any espresso based coffee.

 

[PandaBear]

Any of you lot tried the A2 milk it originated in Australia but is being produced in the US now as well. Best milk I have tried even over organic. Superb in latte and any espresso based coffee.

Australian has better milk products than US, that's for sure. I see most restaurants in Hong Kong use the Black and White brand evaporated milk in cans for tea and coffee, and Anchor brand butter. I am not a big butter and dairy fan and drink my coffee and tea black, but even I can tell the difference on the first sip.

 

[PandaBear]

Maybe it's different where you are. Here, a number of dairy farmers were told their milk was no longer needed. Just not the same demand for milk.

Not much margin if Aldi and WalMart can sell a gallon of milk for less than $2.

Sometimes, closer to $1 than to $2.

I would imagine for milk, they make one product and slap a different label on it. The format for something like 2% vitamin D milk is set by the USDA, so it’s probably pretty much the same.

Now I’m talking about mass production commercial dairies, not someone who advertises pampered cows giving organic milk and pasteurized with special crystals.

The real money is probably in butter, ice cream and cheeses.

Very true, the money is in the fat and milk products. I would imagine the store brands would not all be sourced from the same farm across the nation and the name brands may have more common with the store brands in the same local locations.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I prefer Kroger brand Milk over Walmart brand Milk. There is a taste difference at least in the whole milk as that’s all I drink. Kroger by far is much better.

 

[PandaBear]

My wife swears that there is a significant taste difference between Great Value Whole Milk and Safeway's Lucerne brand. There is a difference IMO, but not enough to warrant the price difference.

Not surprise because from my understanding Walmart runs their own dairy plants and may buy with different standard than Albertson / Safeway.

I am wondering if the dairy plants have a way to run different "batches" based on the input grade and sell the output in different "grade" to the private / name brand labels. For large operations they definitely need input quality check and output quality check beyond just USDA contents (flavors need to be consistent too), and they would definitely see variation as farming is not precision engineering, and therefore output quality is not either. What would they do with variation of volume and quality?

 

[4WD]

I've always noticed a "cleaner" taste with organic milk like Organics or Horizon Organic milk. My sister swears she can't taste any differences. My parents ordered from a local dairy when I was a kid. It still is the hands down best milk I've ever had. Prices really are all over, it's pretty suprising everything from $1.99 for great value to $7.99 for horizon organic.

Horizon tastes better than store brand organic to me …

 

[4WD]

Not surprise because from my understanding Walmart runs their own dairy plants and may buy with different standard than Albertson / Safeway.

I am wondering if the dairy plants have a way to run different "batches" based on the input grade and sell the output in different "grade" to the private / name brand labels. For large operations they definitely need input quality check and output quality check beyond just USDA contents (flavors need to be consistent too), and they would definitely see variation as farming is not precision engineering, and therefore output quality is not either. What would they do with variation of volume and quality?

Even when they don’t have their own … they have exclusive contracts
I pass an egg farm with nothing but Walmart refer trailers rotated in/out

 

[PandaBear]

Even when they don’t have their own … they have exclusive contracts
I pass an egg farm with nothing but Walmart refer trailers rotated in/out

Eggs definitely have differences I can see in the shell thickness. It is also easier to sort eggs. Liquid like milk with regular deliveries and short shelf life I can see they want it gone asap, I am just wondering if they get order from different places and then run the pasteurization and packaging according to order / delivery alignment. They do need to clean them once in a while (maybe time to switch between sources and organic vs regular), and they may get different quality each day (it is farming after all, living things aren't the same every day).

Or are they all blended for consistence like coffee beans and orange juice?

 

[y_p_w]

Horizon tastes better than store brand organic to me …

I don't like it. They ultra-pasteurize it for a longer refrigerated life. It caramelizes the sugars and leaves a different taste. They have suppliers from around the county that process the milk to their requirements.

 

[y_p_w]

The issue is that milk is really a very unique product, but it's treated like a commodity. It depends on where it's raised, the care of the cows, the local grass, etc. And then the output of several dairy farmers is processed and blended.

The 800 pound gorilla in the room is Dean Foods although they were sold after losing money due to low milk prices. At one time they owned Horizon, but later sold it off. They owned the big dairy processor in Northern California, which was Berkeley Farms, but later closed it completely. But there's still a lot of different processors like Crystal or Clover. If you go through parts of Point Reyes National Seashore, some of the operating dairy ranches have a Clover sign since that's their exclusive customer.

Trader Joe's buys from a number of different regional suppliers. I checked the plant code a few years ago in my area. The conventional milk came up as from Berkeley Farms, while the organic milk said Clover-Stornetta. But that changes a lot depending on a number of different factors.

Safeway actually owns its own dairy processing, but they get their milk from suppliers. You can see them listed as having dairy processing in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Maybe a few more states.

https://www.fda.gov/media/104934/download

 

[PandaBear]

I am still trying to understand Trader Joe's sourcing but I can tell their eggs are from multiple sources, they don't always have the same code printing on it. Target seems to have the same one every time. I suspect milk is the same for Trade Joe, multiple sources.

 

[tyman]

Fairlife whole ftw

 

[y_p_w]

I am still trying to understand Trader Joe's sourcing but I can tell their eggs are from multiple sources, they don't always have the same code printing on it. Target seems to have the same one every time. I suspect milk is the same for Trade Joe, multiple sources.

All major dairy processors will do private label sales. How that works is a matter of availability and the buyer.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

I'm not talking about the typical US Fat Free, 1%, 2%, Whole Milk, etc. I'm talking about store brands vs other store brands (i.e. Safeway Lucerne vs Value Corner, Kirkland vs Crystal) or other name brand like Horizon and StoneField, Clovers, etc. I know most of our food especially milk are produced by the big dairy but I just wonder if quality and prices mean anything between brands. I am not a big milk drinker so I cannot tell about milk, but I can tell Minute Maid taste bad and Simply Orange and Tropicana taste better, with Florida Natural in the middle.

What bout you guys?

Reason for asking is to see why some cost $3.50 vs $5 for regular and $4 vs $8 for organic.

I buy WM's Great Value milk. I don't think it matters which cow it comes from.

 

[Breanna]

Dairyland, and Blackwell Dairy are both good. The other stuff is crap, especially what they sell at Costco here.

 

[OilReport99]

I'm no dairy farmer, but there has to be at least some difference in taste based on what the cows are eating. Corn husk silage (cows love this stuff so I hear) vs hay vs alfalfa vs pasture grass.

Yep! It's all about the grass - cow breed does matter too.

 

[Malo83]

California Almond Milk for me.

 

[benjy]

milk taste may vary brand depending on the cows breed + what they eat and some could have more fat content, a good thing!! skim + lofat milk raises your glucose faster due to less fat, not good! i like organic stuff but ultra pasteurized organic milk means more heat, longer shelf life + less nutrition. the RAW milk i drink lasts about 10 days + its A-2 A-2 protein a good thing, look it up. most everything we eat is not as good as years ago because fast production + shelf life is most important not nutrition!!