Milk Comparison from May 2008

Well I thought this would be fitting to share now that there are "milk wars" here in Australia as large supermarkets are selling house brands of milk for $1 per Liter (for quantities of 2 or 3L I might add)

I originally posted this on MySpace (lulwut?)

UHT Milk versus ‘Fresh’ Milk - Experiment-o by yours truly

Current mood:  annoyed 

Category: Food and Restaurants

Date: 7/5/2008

 List of References:

Best before Date: The term 'best before' is used to indicate the date by which the item will have outlived its shelf life, and is intended to ensure that customers will not unwittingly purchase or eat stale food.

Gram (g) and milligram: One (1) gram = 0.0353 ounce, one (1) milligram = 0.001grams

Kilojoules (kj): 1000 Joules (J). 4.184 J = 1 thermochemical calorie

Litre (L): Equal to 1000millilitres (ml) - 1 ml = 0.0338140227 US fluid ounces

(RDI) Reference Daily Intake the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient which was considered (at the time they were defined) to be sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97–98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and sex group.

(UHT) Ultra-high temperature processing or (less often) ultra-heat treatment: The partial sterilization of food by heating it for a short time, around 1-2 seconds, at a temperature exceeding 135°C (275°F), which is the temperature required to kill spores in milk

Use by Date: Generally, foods that have a 'use by' date written on the packaging must not be eaten after it has expired. This is because such foods usually go bad quickly and may be injurious to health if spoiled. It is also important to follow storage instructions carefully for these foods (for example, product must be refrigerated).

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Hypothesis:      Certain people prefer buying 'fresh' milk from supermarkets over UHT milk pertaining to assumptions about various parameters of each which has them favoring 'fresh'. 

Aim:                To determine the key differences between UHT milk and ordinary milk on supermarket shelves

Method:           Purchase both varieties of milk for the same manufacturer, compare and contrast the docket data and nutrition panel data to one another.

Results:             "Homebrand Milk was purchased for this experiment, 2 Litre whole milk (fresh) and 1 Litre Full Cream Long Life Milk (UHT). Each serve is equal to 250ml. The fresh milk cost $2.19 for 2L and the 1L of UHT cost $1.09, resulting in the UHT being cheaper by 0.5 of a cent per Litre. No General Sales Tax (GST) information was given therefore it is assumed neither product was subject to GST.

               

The 'use by' date of the fresh milk was set as 14/5/2008 (7 days after purchase) and the UHT had a 'best before' date set at 24/12/2008 (231 days after purchase).

                        -Nutritional Panel-

                        UHT /250ml

                        Energy = 658kj

                        Fat (Total) = 8.3g

                        Carbohydrates (sugars) = 12.8g

                        Sodium = 100mg

                        Calcium = 300mg (38% RDI)

 

                        Fresh /250ml

                        Energy = 662kj

                        Fat (Total) = 8.5g

                        Carbohydrates (Sugars) = 12.2g

                        Sodium = 110mg

                        Calcium = 285mg (35% RDI)

Conclusion:       In this instance fresh Milk is more expensive than UHT milk. 'Fresh' milk contains higher levels of commonly undesirable parameters such as Kilojoules (calories), Fats, and sodium. UHT has higher levels of Calcium and Carbohydrates. UHT lasts longer, is shelf stable and is not confined to 'use by' dates.

 **Personal stance = Screw overproduction of perishable items like milk, it keeps farmers in jobs that don't need to exist, it has more trucks on the roads and energy requirements up. The wastage puts our grocery bills up.

Comment me, you know this is brilliant.

© 2008

/ENDS