Why does some milk in translucent plastic bottles taste horrible? -plastic milk taint

R

rabbit

Guest
Hi,

I notice in the supermarkets milk at different prices. Tesco, for example, sell their own brand of milk a lot cheaper than the equivalent quantity of milk for the local dairy, on the shelf beside it. Is there any difference in the quality of milk @ 1.19 for 2 lites compared to milk at 1.79 for 2 litres or whatever ? Does the local brand milk contain more cream or goodness ?
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

No matter what the brand, milk in plastic bottles tastes horrible.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Agreed aj, I can't stand the stuff.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

I think some of the Tesco milk comes from Northern Ireland. The price difference is huge. I can't see why anyone would not buy the own-brand milk, especialy those with young families. Cows are cows...
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Wondered about this myself but the packaging says all the milk is from Ireland so i'm guessing they're not getting as much of a mark up as the brand companies.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

This relates more to packaging but a friend worked as Quality Controller in a company which made sauces. They made their own sauces and also made it for a well known brand. Said that the same sauce went into the jars but one was packaged a lot nicer than the other and the end price reflected this!
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Once you get over the plastic bottle thing, I think all milk is pretty much the same. I've tried Avonmore, Premier and a few other of the 'brand names' as well as Tesco's own brand, Lidl, Aldi and a couple of the other cheaper ones.

No difference as far as I'm concerned - tastewise. Nutritionally could be a different story though.

Adrian
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

is there a difference between plastic bottles / cartons??? why should i not drink out of the bottle?

**(serious problem in my house the gang drinking out of the carton/bottle from the fridge)** animals is all my lot are....:)
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

PM1234 said:
This relates more to packaging but a friend worked as Quality Controller in a company which made sauces. They made their own sauces and also made it for a well known brand. Said that the same sauce went into the jars but one was packaged a lot nicer than the other and the end price reflected this!
Click to expand...
Same happens with a lot more than just sauce!

Can confirm one of the ownbrand soups (SV) comes straight from the same works (same vat, just seperate discharges) as one of the leading names in the Irish soup market (AM).

The price is again adjusted to reflect the "superior" brand name and additional advertising and packaging.


As for milk, never found the own brands any worse than the brand names. I have found at certain times of the year certain brands of milk do go off taste, but may just be in my head (buying in lots of different shops and areas often find that a particiliur brand just doesn't taste right for a couple of weeks).
Cartons certainly do have less of an artificial tang from it compared to the plastic bottles.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Tastes in milk can be attributed to a number of factors. First off - milk sold in Ireland (full fat milk this is, not skimmed, low fat, with added this or that) must (as far as I am aware) be sold as from the cow; in other words - unadulterated and not watered down. It is of course pasteurised and/or homogenised along the way. During a cows lactation the fat content of its milk varies so a batch of milk from a herd calving at the same time will reflect a similar fat content throughout the season. As far as I know the milk also reflects what the animal eats and so when the feed changes from regular 'munching' the grass in the field to being indoors and fed hay and silage it does come through in the taste. And yes pour the milk into a cup or glass from a plastic container. It will taste better!
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

marathon_man said:
Don't drink out the bottle!
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OK, milk that has been stored in those large plastic containers tastes horrible. Milk that has been stored in the litre/half litre cartons (or in glass bottles) tastes fine. I would like to buy milk in 2 litre cartons like some OJ's.

As an aside I find that Dawn Skimmed milk is not as nice as Avonmore Skimmed milk.

Also have you noticed that shops and supermarkets hide the newer milk at the back and place the milk about to reach its expiry at the front?
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Milk in glass or plastic bottles is subject to deterioration by uv light which destroyes the vitamins.

Waxed cardboard cartons are the best way to store milk.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

ajapale said:
Also have you noticed that shops and supermarkets hide the newer milk at the back and place the milk about to reach its expiry at the front?
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Of course they do! Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

I don't drink milk on its own - just on cereals and in tea/coffee - but have never noticed any difference between milk from a plastic cartons and from other receptacles to be honest.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

CCOVICH said:
Of course they do! Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
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It makes sense from the shops point of view. From the consumers point of view it makes sense to subvert the shops intentions and to root out the newer milk at the back of the shelf.

And yes milk (and beer!) at or beyond the expiry date does not taste as good as the fresher equivalent.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

All pasteurised milk tastes funny to me, having been raised on filtered but unpasteurised full cream milk. However I would not buy own brand because I like to support local industry. So in my case I buy Kerry group milk- dawn or golden vale.
 
Re: Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?

Waxed cardboard cartons are the best way to store milk.
Click to expand...

Wax hasn't been used in +20 years.
Both carton and plastic bottles contain the milk within a polyethelyne enclosure. A carton is a glorified mechanical protection surrounding a plastic bag.
Only significant difference is bottles subject the milk to light.
 
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