Hello All!

I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim
milk on display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could
not tell any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a
difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the
customers happy?
--


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually have
> both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim milk on
> display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell
> any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is
> Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers happy?
> --
>
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different dairy? That
might explain the label differences.

Jill

jmcquown wrote on Sun, 3 May 2009 08:34:25 -0400:

> "James Silverton" > wrote in
> message ...
>> Hello All!
>>
>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
>> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day
>> there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat content
>> was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any difference from
>> fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is Giant
>> packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers
>> happy? --
>>
>> James Silverton
>> Potomac, Maryland
>>
> AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different
> dairy? That might explain the label differences.

They are both labelled "Giant". The only difference that I can tell,
apart from the name, is the color of the label and the bottle cap :-)

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton said...

> jmcquown wrote on Sun, 3 May 2009 08:34:25 -0400:
>
>> "James Silverton" > wrote in
>> message ...
>>> Hello All!
>>>
>>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
>>> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day
>>> there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat content
>>> was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any difference from
>>> fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is Giant
>>> packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers
>>> happy? --
>>>
>>> James Silverton
>>> Potomac, Maryland
>>>
>> AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different
>> dairy? That might explain the label differences.
>
> They are both labelled "Giant". The only difference that I can tell,
> apart from the name, is the color of the label and the bottle cap :-)


James,

I get fat-free milk from TJs or the ACME market that has one milk fridge
cabinet of Lehiegh (brand) of the same.

They both taste the same.

I go through the motion of shaking the 2-quart jugs to add suds to it
before chugging! It's been a long time ritual. Whether it matters? I dunno.

Best,

Andy
--
Eat first, talk later.

Andy wrote on Sun, 03 May 2009 08:19:31 -0500:

>> jmcquown wrote on Sun, 3 May 2009 08:34:25 -0400:
>>
>>> "James Silverton" > wrote in
>>> message ...
>>>> Hello All!
>>>>
>>>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket.
>>>> They usually have both skim and fat-free milk and the other
>>>> day there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat
>>>> content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any
>>>> difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a
>>>> difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways
>>>> to keep the customers happy? --
>>>>
>>>> James Silverton
>>>> Potomac, Maryland
>>>>
>>> AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different
>>> dairy? That might explain the label differences.
>>
>> They are both labelled "Giant". The only difference that I
>> can tell, apart from the name, is the color of the label and
>> the bottle cap :-)

> James,

> I get fat-free milk from TJs or the ACME market that has one
> milk fridge cabinet of Lehiegh (brand) of the same.

> They both taste the same.

> I go through the motion of shaking the 2-quart jugs to add
> suds to it before chugging! It's been a long time ritual.
> Whether it matters? I dunno.

I don't really see any importance to the choice. It was just that I was
intrigued by the question :-)
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton said...

> Andy wrote on Sun, 03 May 2009 08:19:31 -0500:
>
>>> jmcquown wrote on Sun, 3 May 2009 08:34:25 -0400:
>>>
>>>> "James Silverton" > wrote in
>>>> message ...
>>>>> Hello All!
>>>>>
>>>>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket.
>>>>> They usually have both skim and fat-free milk and the other
>>>>> day there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat
>>>>> content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any
>>>>> difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a
>>>>> difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways
>>>>> to keep the customers happy? --
>>>>>
>>>>> James Silverton
>>>>> Potomac, Maryland
>>>>>
>>>> AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different
>>>> dairy? That might explain the label differences.
>>>
>>> They are both labelled "Giant". The only difference that I
>>> can tell, apart from the name, is the color of the label and
>>> the bottle cap :-)
>
>> James,
>
>> I get fat-free milk from TJs or the ACME market that has one
>> milk fridge cabinet of Lehiegh (brand) of the same.
>
>> They both taste the same.
>
>> I go through the motion of shaking the 2-quart jugs to add
>> suds to it before chugging! It's been a long time ritual.
>> Whether it matters? I dunno.
>
> I don't really see any importance to the choice. It was just that I was
> intrigued by the question :-)


James,

If there's one thing I won't do, it's I wouldn't dare put fat-free milk in
a great cup of coffee!

Best,

Andy
--
Eat first, talk later.

James Silverton wrote:
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim
> milk on display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I
> could not tell any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there
> *is* a difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to
> keep the customers happy?

At some point they started calling skim milk Fat Free milk. I only
found that out when a woman who was from Europe asked me
to help her find skim milk. I'll be darned, no skim milk, just fat free.

She was still worried and I was kind of worried myself, so I went
back and finally found a carton of fat free that mentioned skim milk
on the container.

I guess it's one of those dried plum things, if you're looking for prunes
you likely won't find them. Image change.

nancy

On May 3, 8:30*am, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim
> milk on display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could
> not tell any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a
> difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the
> customers happy?
> --
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> Email, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

I think they're the same thing. Were they two different brands? It'd
be odd to have one brand have two labels for the same thing.

Kris

Andy wrote on Sun, 03 May 2009 08:54:42 -0500:


> If there's one thing I won't do, it's I wouldn't dare put
> fat-free milk in a great cup of coffee!

I've never put milk or cream in real coffee. A little brown sugar is a
possibility for me but I only use skim or fat-free milk when I make
instant coffee. That way, even if it is not really coffee, it is not a
bad hot drink!

From previous replies, it seems that by selling both "fat-free" and
"skim", Giant is just keeping the customers happy as I suspected. The
prices are the same so there's nothing really wrong with that :-)

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"James Silverton" wrote:
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually have
> both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim milk on
> display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell
> any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference.

milk is the milk just as it came from the cow and contains about 3 1/2
percent milk fat. Lowfat milk comes in two basic types: 2 percent , meaning
98 percent of the fat has been removed; and 1 percent , which is 99 percent
fat-free. A few lowfat milks contain only 1/2 percent milk fat but they're
not widely available. Nonfat or skim milk must by law contain less than 1/2
percent milk fat.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually have
> both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim milk on
> display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell
> any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is
> Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers happy?
> --
>
It's almost certainly for marketing in this fat conscious society!
Graham

brooklyn1 wrote:
> "James Silverton" wrote:
>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually have
>> both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim milk on
>> display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell
>> any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference.
>
> milk is the milk just as it came from the cow and contains about 3 1/2
> percent milk fat. Lowfat milk comes in two basic types: 2 percent , meaning
> 98 percent of the fat has been removed; and 1 percent , which is 99 percent
> fat-free. A few lowfat milks contain only 1/2 percent milk fat but they're
> not widely available. Nonfat or skim milk must by law contain less than 1/2
> percent milk fat.
> © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
> LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
>
>
Sometimes it pays to read stuff before you quote it as authoritative.
Well maybe you didn't quote it because there are no quotation marks but
included an attribution from something else.

James Silverton wrote:
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim
> milk on display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could
> not tell any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a
> difference? Is Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the
> customers happy?

There is definitely a difference. Maybe you got the end or beginning of
a different product run or simply a mislabel?

George wrote on Sun, 03 May 2009 10:28:47 -0400:

> James Silverton wrote:
>> Hello All!
>>
>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
>> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day
>> there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat content
>> was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any difference from
>> fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is Giant
>> packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers
>> happy?

The Giant chain has been selling the two types of milk for more than 3
years to the best of my knowledge and usually in the same refrigerated
case with the same sell-by dates. I guess it's a harmless marketing
ploy.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Hello All!
>
> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually have
> both skim and fat-free milk and the other day there was only skim milk on
> display. Since the fat content was zero, I bought that. I could not tell
> any difference from fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is
> Giant packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers happy?
> --
>
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland

MARKETING!

See below.

Dimitri


milk
Milk has been used for human consumption for thousands and thousands of
years, as proven by cave drawings showing cows being milked. Today cow's
milk is still one of the most popular (especially in the United States)
animal milks consumed by humans. Around the world, people drink the milk
from many other animals including camels, goats, llamas, reindeer, sheep and
water buffalo. Most milk packs a nutritional punch and contains protein,
calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and D, LACTOSE (milk sugar) and riboflavin.
On the minus side, milk's natural sodium content is quite high. Most milk
sold in the United States today is PASTEURIZED, which means the
microorganisms that cause diseases (such as salmonella and hepatitis) and
spoilage have been destroyed by heating, then quick-cooling, the milk.
Pasteurization eliminates the possibility of disease and gives milk a longer
shelf life. Most commercial milk products have also been HOMOGENIZED,
meaning that the milk fat globules have been broken down mechanically until
they are evenly and imperceptibly distributed throughout the milk. The end
result is that the cream does not separate from the milk and the liquid is
uniformly smooth. In 1993, the Federal Drug Administration approved
supplementing dairy cows with a genetically produced hormone protein known
as bovine somatotropin (BST). BST is a naturally occurring growth hormone
that's found in all cows. When bioengineered BST is injected into dairy
cows, their milk production increases by up to 25 percent. Scientists assert
that the composition of milk from BST-injected cows is not altered in any
way and has no biological effect on humans, although many opponents are not
convinced. There is no mandatory labeling for milk from BST-supplemented
cows. However, in some smaller market areas, you may find dairy products
voluntarily labeled as "farmer certified to not come from BST-supplemented
cows."

Milk is available in many varieties. Raw milk, usually only commercially
available in health-food stores, has not been pasteurized. Advocates say
it's better nutritionally because vitamins and natural enzymes have not been
destroyed by heat. The dairies that are certified to sell raw milk have
rigid hygiene standards and their herds are inspected regularly. But the
milk is still not pasteurized and therefore carries some potential risk of
disease. Almost all other pasteurized and homogenized milks are fortified
with vitamins A and D. Whole milk is the milk just as it came from the cow
and contains about 3 1/2 percent milk fat. Lowfat milk comes in two basic
types: 2 percent , meaning 98 percent of the fat has been removed; and 1
percent , which is 99 percent fat-free. A few lowfat milks contain only 1/2
percent milk fat but they're not widely available.

LOOK HERE

Nonfat or skim milk must by law contain less than 1/2 percent milk fat.



Both lowfat and nonfat milk are available with milk solids added, in which
case the label states "Protein-fortified." Not only does this boost the
protein to 10 grams per cup, but it also adds body and richness. Federal law
requires that both lowfat and nonfat milk be fortified with 2,000
International Units (IU) of vitamin A per quart.


Though vitamin D fortification is optional, 400 IU per quart is usually also
added. Buttermilk of times past was the liquid left after butter was
churned. Today it is made commercially by adding special bacteria to nonfat
or lowfat milk, giving it a slightly thickened texture and tangy flavor.
Some manufacturers add flecks of butter to give it an authentic look. Dry or
powdered buttermilk is also available (see DRY MILK). Sweet acidophilus
milk (whole, lowfat or nonfat) has had friendly and healthful lactobacillus
acidophilus bacteria added to it. It tastes and looks just like regular milk
but many scientists believe it has an advantage because the acidophilus
culture restores nature's balance to the digestive tract. Low-sodium milk,
in which 90 percent of the sodium is replaced by potassium, is a special
product available in limited supply for those on sodium-restricted diets.
Lactose-reduced lowfat milk is for people suffering from lactose
intolerance. The lactose content in this special lowfat milk has been
reduced to only 30 percent. Ultrapasteurized milk has been quickly heated to
about 300°F, then vacuum-packed. It may be stored without refrigeration for
up to 6 months until opened, after which it must be refrigerated. Though the
high heat destroys spoilage-causing microorganisms, it also gives a "cooked"
flavor to the milk. Chocolate milk is whole milk with sugar and chocolate
added to it. Chocolate dairy drink (sometimes labeled simply chocolate
drink) is skim milk with the same flavorings added. In either case, if cocoa
is used instead of chocolate, the product is labeled "chocolate-flavored
drink." There are a variety of dry milk and canned milk products on the
market. (See DRY MILK, EVAPORATED MILK and SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK).
Buying milk: Always check the date on the carton to make sure the milk
you're buying is the freshest available. Pull dates (see OPEN DATING) are
intentionally conservative, and most milk in a market with rapid turnover
will keep at least a week after purchase. Storing milk: Refrigerate milk as
soon as you get it home from the store. Milk readily absorbs flavors so
always close milk cartons or other containers tightly. The storage life of
milk is reduced greatly when allowed to sit out at room temperature for 30
minutes or more, as it would if put in a pitcher for serving. Rather than
returning such milk to its original carton, cover the pitcher with plastic
wrap, refrigerate and use that milk within 2 days. See also SOY MILK, as
well as listings for milk's most widely distributed by-products : BUTTER;
CHEESE; CREAM; SOUR CREAM; YOGURT.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

James Silverton wrote:
> jmcquown wrote on Sun, 3 May 2009 08:34:25 -0400:
>
>> "James Silverton" > wrote in
>> message ...
>>> Hello All!
>>>
>>> I use fat-free milk that I buy at my Giant supermarket. They usually
>>> have both skim and fat-free milk and the other day
>>> there was only skim milk on display. Since the fat content
>>> was zero, I bought that. I could not tell any difference from
>>> fat-free and I wonder if there *is* a difference? Is Giant
>>> packaging the same thing in two ways to keep the customers
>>> happy? --
>>> James Silverton
>>> Potomac, Maryland
>>>
>> AFAIK there is no difference. Maybe it's from a different
>> dairy? That might explain the label differences.
>
> They are both labelled "Giant". The only difference that I can tell,
> apart from the name, is the color of the label and the bottle cap :-)
>
Kroger does the same thing with their branded skim/fat-free milk. The
only difference I can see that they get a few cents more a half-gallon
for the fat free.

Andy wrote:

> If there's one thing I won't do, it's I wouldn't dare put fat-free milk in
> a great cup of coffee!

That's how I like my coffee. I keep cream for guests, however.


--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

Janet Wilder said...

> Andy wrote:
>
>> If there's one thing I won't do, it's I wouldn't dare put fat-free milk
>> in a great cup of coffee!
>
> That's how I like my coffee. I keep cream for guests, however.


Janet,

Grandma Rose describing coffee using skim milk: "Makes it look sickly!"

Best,

Andy
--
Eat first, talk later.

On May 3, 2:35*pm, Andy > wrote:
> Janet Wilder said...
>
> > Andy wrote:
>
> >> If there's one thing I won't do, it's I wouldn't dare put fat-free milk
> >> in a great cup of coffee!
>
> > That's how I like my coffee. I keep cream for guests, however.
>
> Janet,
>
> Grandma Rose describing coffee using skim milk: "Makes it look sickly!"

That is a very good description.
>
> Best,
>
> Andy
>
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15522299@N08/?saved=1