Milk has gone SPAM

[MyopicJoe]

Over the years I've watched the price of Meadow Gold's Viva milk go from from ~$2.50 to ~$5.50 a gallon. Sadly, Sam's Club no longer carries Viva. They now carry this monstrousity:





Designed by Superior Dairy, the new containers are supposed to be cheaper to transport, friendly for the environment, and can be handled by robots.

On the other hand, it's trickier to pour without spilling. Some people won't like the looks. I'm not sure which I dislike more: square jugs or milk in a bag.

I'm not THAT put off by the new ergonomics, but they do remind me of the state of our economy. Makes me think of SPAM.

Have you folks spotted these new jugs yet? How do you feel about them?

[MyopicJoe]

Oh and the milk is from a different dairy (mainland perhaps?). My family are milk connoisseurs. They can taste the difference (hence their preference for Viva).

[Walkoff Balk]

Those containers doesn't look like there will be milk inside. That size container should have written that it contains "hazardous material."

[cyleet99]

I remember seeing a news report a year or so ago that this was the future of milk jugs. Like you said, MJ, easier to ship/fill for the dairy. Are they twist on lids, or snap on? Do they still fit in that door spot in the fridge?

The only place we could really taste a difference in the milk was on Eleuthera. Yukky milk; had a bitterness that was just bad.

[MyopicJoe]

Those containers doesn't look like there will be milk inside. That size container should have written that it contains "hazardous material."

Heh, I see what you mean: "Don't drink from yellow milk jugs."

Are they twist on lids, or snap on? Do they still fit in that door spot in the fridge?

The lid is twist/screw on. It fits in my fridge door. In fact it has a slightly smaller footprint while still having the same height. At least they didn't mess up that aspect of ergonomics.

[kanahina]

As of Saturday, December 13, the Pearl City Sam's Club still had the regular shaped milk jug/container. The whole white milk is Dairyland brand (I think), but the chocolate milk is Viva.

[MyopicJoe]

Thanks for the tip, Kanahina. Downtown Sam's Club still has Viva chocolate milk. The square milk is from Western Dairy Innovations...I don't think I want my milk innovated!

I wonder how long the dairy companies have been itching to make this switch. Perhaps they saw the weakened economy as a good time to push this change onto consumers.

still had the regular shaped milk jug/container

I'm glad to hear your jugs are still regularly shaped...

(sorry, it's late and I couldn't resist. I'm sure I'll regret it in the morning.)

[MyopicJoe]

The whole white milk is Dairyland brand (I think)

I totally forgot about the Dairyland switch. You're right, that's what they were selling down here, also. Viva -> Dairyland -> Square stuff.

[legal_secretary_in_mtl]

I was shocked to see when I was in Honolulu (came back yesterday from there) that 1 lt of milk cost like over 3$ u.s... here in Montreal its like oh about 1.50$ CDN !!!

[matapule]

My family are milk connoisseurs..

Interesting! We have started purchasing our milk in perfectly rectangular, one quart cartons at Costco. This is milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened. It works great and I like the taste. Costco sells it by the case (not located in the cooler section). We like it especially for the boat where we don't have a lot of refrigerator room and we just keep one quart in the fridge at a time, the rest goes into a storage locker until we need it. It is much less expensive too. We purchase the 1% flavor.

I wonder what a family of connoisseurs would think about the taste.

[Expat Kamaaina]

Here in Arizona, it is not unusual to find one of the big grocery stores selling milk for $1.00 per half gallon and $1.99 for a full gallon.

[MyopicJoe]

here in Montreal its like oh about 1.50$ CDN !!!

Here in Arizona, it is not unusual to find one of the big grocery stores selling milk for $1.00 per half gallon and $1.99 for a full gallon.

Oh, stop rubbing it in, you two

Yeah, our prices are crazy. Our cereals are pricey too. The joy of living on a remote island.

I wonder what a family of connoisseurs would think about the taste.

I hope we're not a family of Napoleon Dynamites!

Milk which doesn't need to be refrigerated (until opened) is handy. Is it cow milk or soy? My survivalist friend might like the idea.

I'll have to try a blind test with the kids, to rule out psychological factors. Thanks for pointing it out, Matapule.

[matapule]

Milk which doesn't need to be refrigerated (until opened) is handy. Is it cow milk or soy?

It is definitely bovine. How do they do that? Comes in either 1% or full octane.

[Kaonohi]

It is definitely bovine. How do they do that? Comes in either 1% or full octane.

From what I understand, all you need do is eliminate the factor which causes spoilage. Not sure what that is in milk, perhaps bacteria? Acidophilus milk has the lactobacillus acidophilus added, to aid in digestion (some humans lack the proper enzymes to digest cow's milk), and in my experience, it tends to sour more quickly than standard pasteurized milk. But, I was also taught that pasteurization was supposed to destroy bacteria in milk, so why would pasteurized milk spoil? Unsterile containers? Packaging or handling?

From this website:

http://www.idfa.org/facts/milk/pasteur.cfm

Comes these facts:


"The most common method of pasteurization in the United States today is High Temperature Short Time (HTST) pasteurization, which uses metal plates and hot water to raise milk temperatures to at least 161° F for not less than 15 seconds, followed by rapid cooling. Higher Heat Shorter Time (HHST) is a process similar to HTST pasteurization, but it uses slightly different equipment and higher temperatures for a shorter time. For a product to be considered Ultra Pasteurized (UP), it must be heated to not less than 280° for two seconds. UP pasteurization results in a product with longer shelf life but still requiring refrigeration. "Another method, aseptic processing, which is also known as Ultra High Temperature (UHT), involves heating the milk using commercially sterile equipment and filling it under aseptic conditions into hermetically sealed packaging. The product is termed "shelf stable" and does not need refrigeration until opened. " (emphasis mine)

Side-note:
I buy my salads pre-packaged, (Fresh Express) and noticed that they tend not to spoil (wilt, brown) until after they are opened. I figured that if you cut the salad and package it in an inert gas, like nitrogen, it would retard spoilage. I was going to write the company to ask them, but never got around to it. Maybe I'll just open the bag and try to breathe it.....

The wonders of technology....

[Expat Kamaaina]

Yeah but, on the other hand. Other kine Hawaii stuff costs a lot here. I just cannot find ogo for my poke (I posted earlier this year and nobody could help me), our prices for SPAM are very high as is the cost for vienna sausages. I also pay $4.00 for a 10 oz. stick of Portuguese sausage. I also pay $2.79 a pound for Hawaii papaya.

But there are other advantages to living where I do, I guess. I just went grocery shopping since a friend is coming over for dinner tomorrow nite. I bought butcher special cut USDA choice rib steaks for $3.77 a pound, and fresh asparagus for $1.99 a pound. I just cannot get over the price of meat in Honolulu!!
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Oh, stop rubbing it in, you two

Yeah, our prices are crazy. Our cereals are pricey too. The joy of living on a remote island.




I hope we're not a family of Napoleon Dynamites!

Milk which doesn't need to be refrigerated (until opened) is handy. Is it cow milk or soy? My survivalist friend might like the idea.

I'll have to try a blind test with the kids, to rule out psychological factors. Thanks for pointing it out, Matapule.

[MyopicJoe]

From this website:

http://www.idfa.org/facts/milk/pasteur.cfm

Comes these facts:

Ah. Interesting info, Kaonohi. Thanks for the link.

our prices for SPAM are very high as is the cost for vienna sausages.

Oh lordy. Does that mean SPAM will be considered a gourmet item some day?

[cyleet99]

"Bout Time!!

[MyopicJoe]

Sam's Club was giving out free samples of square milk, to assure customers the quality was the same. There was quite a crowd gathered around. Perhaps they were curious if it was Made in China milk

[snowbird]

Thanks, Kaonohi, for the link and for explaining that to us... I was freaked out by the box milk, and wanted to try, but too afraid it would taste funny. I like the idea of it alot... don't drink it, but to use on cocoa pebbles and mashed potatoes... Will give a try!

sb

[MyopicJoe]

One downside to square milk jugs:

the need constantly wipe dribble from the side of the container, or place a paper towel under it, in the fridge.

[Walkoff Balk]

A comic brought up the scenario of the first person who drank cow's milk. Who would drink what comes out of what's hanging down from a cow?

[cyleet99]

One downside to square milk jugs:

the need constantly wipe dribble from the side of the container, or place a paper towel under it, in the fridge.

OOhh! I hate that!!

A comic brought up the scenario of the first person who drank cow's milk. Who would drink what comes out of what's hanging down from a cow?

The same ones who will drink what comes out of goats, camels or yaks, or the same ones that will eat eggs of many varieties...we are a creative species.

Yak yak yak!!
**giggle/snort**

[tutusue]

[...]I buy my salads pre-packaged, (Fresh Express) and noticed that they tend not to spoil (wilt, brown) until after they are opened. I figured that if you cut the salad and package it in an inert gas, like nitrogen, it would retard spoilage.[...]

I, too, have noticed that the pre-packaged greens stay fresh in their packaging for quite awhile. When I open the package I pour the greens into a vacuum canister and suck the air out after every use. The greens last at least 10 days.

[cynsaligia]

eric and i buy 32 ounce boxes of borden's UHT (ultra high temp) skim milk from long's at about $2.50 a box. sometimes it goes on sale for $1.99 and i buy six boxes at one time because it stores so nicely.

since we don't drink milk daily, this is the perfect solution for us. taste-wise, it seems creamier than any other skim milk we've bought in the fridged section of the store, with the exception of skinny cow skim. unfortunately, we can't find skinny cow skim anywhere on oahu anymore, and we didn't see it on our maui holiday the weekend before christmas. we did try some organic milk brands while we were in oregon last year visiting my mom and the slight grassy taste of those milks took a little getting used to, given that we were raised on viva.

[Leo Lakio]

Who would drink what comes out of what's hanging down from a cow?

The same ones who will drink what comes out of goats, camels or yaks, or the same ones that will eat eggs of many varieties...we are a creative species.

And the same ones who would pry open an oyster, see the puddle of coagulated loogie inside and think, "gee, I wonder what that tastes like?"




I'm not fond of milk either, fwiw.