My family consumes a 12 litre of full cream milk every week. There's a considerable difference in price between colesworth branded milk and other. I wonder what's OzBargainer's choice and why. From label, I find that nutritions are almost same for both.
P.S. - If you don't drink or buy milk then you are not obligated to reply
Ha..Family of 5 however use milk to make Yoghurt, Cottage cheese etc.
Why does store bought milk need sterilisation
Sorry sterilise?
When my grandparents had a dairy they brought the milk straight up from the dairy in the morning still warm. Personally i didnt like it much as a kid but grandma died at 95 my grandfather died at 80 a year after he crashed the farm quad bike. Milks not a problem unless something failed in the supply chain.
I work with a bloke who use to work for Murray Goulburn now Saputo and in testing/surveillance if they find anything outside parameters 10s of thousands of liters will be disposed of. They will not risk bad press over bad milk.
@2esc: Whilst a wholesome story, let's not start promoting raw milk (which is what you described), which is objectively not safe for consumption. Pasturisation is essential.
It’s been pasteurised. That basically is sterilized. Don’t listen to JFK Jr, the brain worms are still active.
the other side of the coin …
12L milk/week between 5 ppl == only 340ml/day EACH … which really isn't much.
like bare minimum, that == milk on cereal + 2 cups of coffee … per day.
then you also talk about using milk to make yogurt/cheese.
If you have kids/young adults … then they can easily drink 1L+ in a day (esp if health conscious) - gym or "fruit smoothies".
just wondering …
does the type/style of milk effect the final outcome of the Yogurt/cheese that you make.
Perhaps trial/error ???
As majority of ppl replying (including myself) - purchase milk from a store to drink … rather than, using to ferment/mature.
Pretty useless poll if you shop at Aldi.
or IGA
Or Costco.
😲
I thought costco’s milk is expensive than coleworths
@kaleidoscope: Costco is a pretty mixed bag.
You can often find a given brand name thing for less $$, but the moment you compare to Colesworth or Aldi versions of the product they fall well short.
or straight from the cow
I, too, shop at straight from the cow.
I don’t regularly drink milk.
On the rare occasion that I get given a free box of cereal I buy the high protein milk or whatever full cream milk that has been marked down on clearance.
With the exception of specialty milf such as A2, all other milk comes from the same cows on the farm. They don’t have sections of a farm roped off for Pura milk and another for Coles milk
Idk about that. I'm not a big milk drinker, but I'm fairly sure I can tell the difference across different brands. I am sure you are right about a some milk just being the same in different bottles, but there is still a lot of variation.
They may add things during the processing but cows can’t produce more protein one day and more taste the next
You do realise that there are different breeds of dairy cows right?
Output from cattle can actually vary wildly from day to day & especially between breeds & locations. Stressors, grass quality, any feeds they are given etc can all have measurable outputs on the ratios of the milk which impacts flavour & texture.
As for store bought milk, it is almost all separated & re-combined for consistency, the varying fat/protein/etc ratios are evened out because most customers would freak out if the taste/ratios drifted week to week. Its also why cheap milk is watery garbage. They actually strip out a lot of the more valuable fats for use in other products & add just enough back to get away with selling it as "whole" milk.
The exception is the speciality milks becoming popular that are not homogenised. Those never go through the full separation & controlled re-combination. They also tend to favour Jersey/Guernsey cows because of the higher fat content. People paying premium for non-homogenised milk will go for the brands with the higher fat content.
I don't know why you're being negged. Pretending there isn't a difference in the quality and flavour of milk is like pretending the cheapest cut of beef at Coles is going to taste the same as Wagu or even Kobe beef. Differences in breed, the grass the cows are eating, etc all impact the flavour.
Of course there's lots of milk brands that mix milk from 1000 cows across 50 farms into one big vat, but there are also brands that just do their own milk and it all comes from their cows in one single region. Country Valley Milk, for instance. There is a material difference in milks, you just have to be willing to pay for it.
Gippsland Jersey is a prime example of this, extra sweet, creamy and even has a slight brown tinge to it
specialty milf
I'd love to see your search history if autocorrect does this to you.
Might be muscle memory
I think the muscle memory here is more of an up and down motion.
Glass and a half of full cream dairy milf in every 200g
It's all in the way its processed.
That's right. And they clearly end up with differing levels of protein, fat and lactose.
Actually farms can be specifically contracted to different companies however sometimes companies buy milk from one another.
There are solely Coles contracted dairy farms as there is Bega etc.
Norco Lite or Aldi Farmsomething Lite.
Normal, full strength milk now just tastes like melted ice cream to me.
I have tired the Wollies and Coles branded milk and it just doesnt hit the spot like Norco does. Their "lite" milk looks like water with a teaspoon of milk powder mixed in.
now just tastes like melted ice cream to me.
You say that like it's a bad thing :)
I don't even like milk, but if I am going to drink it or put it in a hot beverage, I would prefer the melted ice cream version.
One of the great things about living in North America is that you can buy "half and half" in the supermarkets.
Half-and-half is simply a mixture of half whole milk and half cream. It's what you use when you need something richer than milk, but not quite as thick as cream. You'll find it in rich and velvety sauces, soups, and desserts. Many people like using half-and-half in their coffee because it strikes the perfect balance between too creamy and too thin. Store-bought half-and-half is homogenized, which means it's been emulsified so that it doesn't separate when added to other ingredients.
One of the great things about living in North America is that you can buy "half and half" in the supermarkets….
Half-and-half is simply a mixture of half whole milk and half cream
Do they still sell the fat-free version? The 'healthier version' with no fat but with corn syrup plus a few more additives.
Countryside Creamery Fat Free Half & Half.
Ingredients: skim milk, corn syrup, stabilizer (titanium dioxide [color], sodium citrate, dipotassium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, and carrageenan), and vitamin A palmitate.
Same here.
Norco lite most the time at the corner shop, then get that farmsomething at Aldi if I'm already there and need some.
Norco is where it's at. Nice giving the money to a local coop instead of a multinational mega corporation too.
Amusingly depending where you are Norco milk and Coles milk are one in the same.
Used to have to keep track of having enough milk while not having too much and having it expire.
So now I just buy long-life milk. And keep enough in the fridge that that I never run out, It didn't take long to get used to the slightly different taste.
It also meant it was easy to switch to lactose free. That seemed to make a difference. Trying A2 didn't.
Costco milk is good
I avoid buying Aldi's Farmdale full cream milk which go bad 3-4 days earlier than Cowoolies ones. I tested many times in every season in the same spot of the fridge. No difference between Woolie and Coles milk which stay good up to 10 days in fridge after lid opened. There is no gelatine cover inside the plastic lid of Aldi's milk that's, I think, why aldi milk is of shorter life. If I make yogurt or drink it in 2-3 days, then I do not care which one I buy.
I do not drink crap lite, soy etc milk, and I do not buy any other milk brands.
That is interesting, my wife and I noticed Aldi cream going bad much earlier than coles and woolworths on multiple occasions.
I also noticed aldi milk tastes less creamy.
That said, I still shop at aldi for their cheese and yoghurt which is great.
Goat milk
greatest of all time milk
Dan Andrew's Best.
Norco
I just milk my guinea pigs.
I just milk my guinea pigs.
Do you have a milking stand over the bucket or do you use really tiny buckets?
I should not have googled that -
Milk is one of the classic examples of a commodity good. Many/most consumers regard it as completely interchangeable when it comes to branding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity
There is a spectrum of commoditization, rather than a binary distinction of "commodity versus differentiable product". Few products have complete undifferentiability and hence fungibility; even electricity can be differentiated in the market based on its method of generation (e.g., fossil fuel, wind, solar), in markets where energy choice lets a buyer opt (and pay more) for renewable methods if desired. Many products' degree of commoditization depends on the buyer's mentality and means. For example, milk, eggs, and notebook paper are not differentiated by many customers; for them, the product is fungible and lowest price is the main decisive factor in the purchasing choice. Other customers take into consideration other factors besides price, such as environmental sustainability and animal welfare. To these customers, distinctions such as "organic versus not" or "cage free versus not" count toward differentiating brands of milk or eggs, and percentage of recycled content or Forest Stewardship Council certification count toward differentiating brands of notebook paper.
Yep. The main difference between brands is marketing basically. Sometimes they'll add lactase or similar to make it better for intolerance but by and large its irrelevant.
From Cosco but not A2
Norco - support Australian farmers and help them get paid a fair price for the work they do rather than being ripped off by the supermarkets.
Run as a co-op and not foreign owned as well.
For me, paying an extra $1 for a litre compared to the woolworths/Coles branded stuff is worth it and I would happily pay more to ensure we don't lose local farms.
A fair price is what the market determines. No farmer is owed a living, they sell for what they can get, which might make them very rich, or sell up.
Though I see Norco is in a region of Australia where not much milk is produced. Perhaps it is not very efficient there, end the farms exist only to supply the local drinking market?
For most farmers, the farmgate price is determined by world markets. Only about 30% of Australia's milk production is for drinking. The remainder is processed into other goods and/or exported.
https://milkvalue.com.au/milk-prices/how-prices-are-determin…
A fair price is what the market determines. No farmer is owed a living, they sell for what they can get, which might make them very rich, or sell up.
I wouldn't necessarily agree with such a broad brush statement. It doesn't account for market power disparity if there are many sellers vs a few very large buyers (or the other way around for different types of service- like the telco situation in the US). Maybe it's true for milk (I know nothing about the industry) but I've seen too many examples of market price distortions.
Personally, if I could bypass duopoly middlemen, I would be prepared to pay a slight premium to do so. To me, this is like buying meat from a local butcher rather than Coles.
Milk is a commodity.
My local WA Coles sells Browns, which is owned by Shanghai Ground Food Tech.
or Harvey Fresh , owned by Groupe Lactalis S.A. since they swallowed the Italian Parmalat corporationI
Farmers can sell to those international corporations, or in some cases choose a contract direct with Colesworth (who then pay the multinationals to process the milk).
Norco, to avoid Bovaer and support Australian farmers.
My family (myself) consumes 9L of ALDI milk a week
Norco, Paul's or from a local dairy
When the wife does the shopping she buys Woolies milk. When I do the shopping I buy Coles milk. We buy lite and full cream. I haven't noticed any real difference between the two brands. We buy these brands because of the price. I can't justify paying extra for the same thing.
Also, Big M is better than Oak.
Thylacine milk
My ratings from best to worst is, Aldi - Costco/spud shed - Woolies - Coles.
Everytime my husband forgets and gets a Coles one, it tastes like milk flavoured water.
Pointless unless you say where you live. Suppliers and farms vary over the country.
Perth
Same. "milk flavoured water" is known as "Hi Lo" here. Are you sure you are getting full cream? Milk taste is mostly about the butterfat, though the amount of sugar can vary too.
@bargaino: Yup, full cream all the way, never bought anything else. Aldi actually does taste pretty good but every Coles one we got for the past few years is disgusting. Of course aldi doesn't compare to those branded ones like Farmhouse gold but with 2 kids drinking milk and myself, gotta stick with home brands 😂
@MeesusEff: OK, I will have to compare test then. I just use milk in coffee and cooking, but the kids drink plenty.
Hunt and Brew. The 4.2% fat variant steams extremely well for milk-based coffees.
I get the fleurieu milk company Jersey Premium Un-Homogenised Milk, because i like the cream.
Yep. Im in SA and buy my milk from Fleurieu Milk too. Its available at Coles and Woolies, costs more, but all the profits stay in SA and supports our local farmers.
We drink craploads of milk. It's my go-to drink.
I'll buy all the smaller bottle high quality/cream milks when reduced, the "finest" or high cream etc.
I'll do the same with any organic milk. If that's not available it's usually Pauls or dairy farmers.
Norco goes off too quick so that's off the list and as very last resort, if no other is available, I'll get coles or woolies watery slop home brand but I try to avoid it at all times.
I'll always get full fat, what's the point of low fat at 2% when full fat is only 4%
To those saying all milk is the same, it's really not.
Poll needs option for Aldi.
Where is the Aldi option?
We buy Pura as it came back to Australian ownership (Bega) and is processed at Salisbury, SA (and we're in Adelaide)
Happily pay a dollar or so more to support local jobs.
Also buy Golden North when I see it.
I'm happy to support Australian jobs but does it really matter if the owners of Pura or the milk company are Australian or Foreign owned?
All the farmers and people working in the milk processing plant are Australia. Still local jobs.
Yes.
Owner - Australian. Profits etc remain local fostering more local jobs and investment. Bega vs Kirin - no brainer.
Cows - obviously cows are in Australia but not all dairies are Australian owned.
Bottling - local bottling is important for a variety of reasons. Jobs in lower SES areas like Salisbury should be supported.
Look, South Australians are highly parochial and tend to pay more for local goods at the expense of cheaper, imported or interstate alternatives. Foodland's entire branding is based on that.
whatever is cheapest, coming from a farm originally and being fully aware the only difference between most of the brands is the label, with the exception being some of the specialty milks. yes different brands can taste slightly different depending on the area, feed and breed of cows but Coles/woolies milk is no better or worse than other branded milks.
have recently taken a liking to Rokeby Farms : low-fat / high-protein milk (has been on special at my local IGA for last 3-4 weeks) … mainly use for drinks/smoothies.
Then, for breakfast/coffees == IGA style of home-brand Hi-Lo milk.
I generally consume 5-6L of milk each week (just myself - single person household).
back in the day - when serious about gym … I was drinking 2L of milk each day (mixed with protein powder).
[EDIT] … and yeah - poll needs way more options.
Just coleworths full cream 3L for the kid(s) and mix in when making some other food. I do consume about 2kg of plain yoghurt per week 💪
Gippsland Jersey 😋
Riverina. Mostly because it seems to be the best and most consistent when steaming for coffee.
This, but to support my region.
Farmhouse Gold
woolworths milk by the 3litre, as many as i can carry fit in the bag. i think we go through similar amount.
Farmhouse gold for the cream on top
I only have milk in coffee, with the occasional bowl of cereal, and A2 seems to have the longest expiry date so I've bought that for years now. On occasion when I couldn't get it I've bought whatever else would last the longest, but have ended up with bloating every time so have always gone back to A2. It's weird because I never had that problem while growing up and I had a lot more milk back then.
Maleny Milk or that zymil stuffs very good/expensive.
Costco A2, lot cheaper than supermarkets.
I buy NORCO from ALDI.
Bannister Downs, WA owned and operated, buy it purely to support local buisness
Zymil, closest lactose free milk that tastes like regular milk, although will get a2 lactose free when on special
I always get Coles 3L full cream. Wife likes to get some "creamy" ones every now and then, but I can't remember the brands. The raw milk (yeah raw) we used to drink tasted closer to the Coles ones. I'm not choosy though, as long as it doesn't taste artificially creamy, I'm fine.
We only really have milk in our coffee, and we have switched to be an oat milk household. We buy whichever is on sale/cheapest so long as it's the "Barista blend" version.
Reasons we switched to Oat milk:
- member of the household found they are sensitive to dairy
- Other members of the household tried oat and aren't fussed about what they have, so switched the whole household to avoid buying different types
- Longer shelf/fridge life than ordinary milk (as we only use it for coffee this is essential). Also because it's long life when it's on sale we stock up and pack it away, we don't need to worry about it going bad within the week.
- We tried almond, & soy milk aswell and found that Oat "barrista blend" had the best taste for coffee.
Should Oat, Almond, Soy etc, be called milk?
Oat water, oat juice is more accurate.
Sure…call it what you want, doesn't impact me, i add it to my morning coffee, use it instead of the milks the OP listed, tastes great, i'm happy and saving money compared to if we bought beef milk.
How big is your family?
Are you a family of cats?
I buy woolies or norco.
All the others taste watery to me.