The Skinny On Skim

While sitting around the Thanksgiving Table with my extremely supportive family, my blog came up in the conversation. Family members were giving me suggestions for topics that they would like discussed.  Some of the family wanted questions answered, while others wanted me to inform consumers about different topics. So Katie, this post is thanks to your suggestion.

How do we get skim milk?

Let's start from the beginning. The milk that comes directly from the cow is called whole milk.  Whole milk contains 3.5% fat by weight.

2% or 1% milk, which is also called reduced-fat or low-fat milk, has its fat and therefore its calories reduced. This milk has either 1% or 2% fat by weight, which is how it gets its name. Clever, huh?

Fat-free or skim milk has no more than 0.2% milk fat. This is the lowest in calories.

But how does the fat percentage get reduced? Milk goes through a centrifugal cream separator which separates the cream from the milk, therefore reducing the amount of fat in your milk. This is done at the milk plant where our milk is delivered fresh for packaging, so that it can be in your grocery store within two days of leaving our farm.

Here's more good news...All milk, no matter what the fat content, has the same nutrients as whole milk.  So you get to choose what fits your dietary needs AND your taste buds! Cheers!