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



## rabbit (13 Dec 2006)

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 ?


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## ajapale (13 Dec 2006)

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

No matter what the brand, milk in plastic bottles tastes horrible.


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## CCOVICH (13 Dec 2006)

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

Agreed aj, I can't stand the stuff.


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## Squonk (13 Dec 2006)

*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...


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## Crea (13 Dec 2006)

*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.


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## PM1234 (13 Dec 2006)

*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!


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## Josey Wales (13 Dec 2006)

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



ajapale said:


> No matter what the brand, milk in plastic bottles tastes horrible.



Finally, I was beginning to think I was the only one. My family think I weird.


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## Olympian (14 Dec 2006)

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



ajapale said:


> No matter what the brand, milk in plastic bottles tastes horrible.



Don't drink out the bottle!


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## Adrian (14 Dec 2006)

*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


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## shootingstar (14 Dec 2006)

*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....


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## Satanta (14 Dec 2006)

*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!


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.


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## hansov (14 Dec 2006)

*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!


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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



marathon_man said:


> Don't drink out the bottle!



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?


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## HighFlier (14 Dec 2006)

*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.


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## CCOVICH (14 Dec 2006)

*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?


 
Of course they do!  Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?


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## CCOVICH (14 Dec 2006)

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



HighFlier said:


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


 
Would this affect the taste?


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## ClubMan (14 Dec 2006)

*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.


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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



CCOVICH said:


> Of course they do!  Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?



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.


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## Vanilla (14 Dec 2006)

*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.


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## SineWave (14 Dec 2006)

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



> Waxed cardboard cartons are the best way to store milk.



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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## SineWave (14 Dec 2006)

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



> So in my case I buy Kerry group milk- dawn or golden vale



Amazed that you don't buy the freshest (cow to shelf time) best tasting quality controlled milk in the country.........Lee Strand!


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## gillarosa (14 Dec 2006)

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

Guys, Try Glenisk Organic.....a little more expensive I agree, but tastes so much better than any of the others. Also on the issue of price it works out cheaper to buy Glenisk in Dunnes / Superquinn / Supervalu than what I have occasionally been fleeced for milk in a local inconvenience store.


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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



SineWave said:


> Amazed that you don't buy the freshest (cow to shelf time) best tasting quality controlled milk in the country.........Lee Strand!



I have to agree *Lee Strand* is great and their commitment to quality, "health and safety", energy and environmnatal management systems is unrivalled.  I would add that their advertising and pack artwork is garish and looks like it was put together by tranisition year students. Also I havent been able to find any website for them.


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## bumper21 (14 Dec 2006)

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

I thought I was going mad too, I hate milk that comes from a plastic bottle and no one believed me that there was a difference.

I'm so glad I saw this now.


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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

I appears from posts above that milk stored in a translucent plastic container *and* exposed to light can aquire a nasty taste (and suffer vitamin depletion).

I wonder if such milk was not exposed to light would it taste all right?


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## DrMoriarty (14 Dec 2006)

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

[broken link removed]!  _(Science __here__...)_


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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

from cornell.edu [broken link removed]



> Dear Uncle Ezra,
> I hope you can settle a disagreement among my friends and I. My family and I have always tasted the difference between milk (whole,skim,2%, you name it) sold in plastic versus paper. I have searched the internet and googled over the years for different resources but never found anything conclusive. Some sites suggest it is UV, others say it's psychological. I literally just opened a brand new plastic half gallon and a new paper quart and I swear I smell (and taste) the difference.
> 
> Cornell milk is some of the best milk I've ever had and we have the Ag school... Can you please settle this debate? Thanks
> ...


​


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## ClubMan (14 Dec 2006)

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



> However, since Promolux           lamps             minimize the emission of damaging visible spectrum and UV wavelengths


 So this crowd sell dark lights?!


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## ajapale (14 Dec 2006)

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

Thanks for throwing light on the topic with the really interesting link DrM.


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## DrMoriarty (14 Dec 2006)

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

Thanks for the awful pun, aj! 

Whatever about the merits of cartons _vs_ plastic containers, wait until the big Irish retailers start preferring to stock that UHT muck that's so widespread on the continent...


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## Ceist Beag (18 Dec 2006)

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

One question - why don't they have plastic containers which are not clear if the major problem is light?


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## SineWave (18 Dec 2006)

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



> One question - why don't they have plastic containers which are not clear if the major problem is light?



Easier said than done (cost-wise) to make the plastic fully opaque. Some couloured plastics let in light. 

Long-life UHT products are actually now being supplied in such opaque containers (outside Ireland).

On fresh milk it's down to consumer demand, and the consumer isn't demanding it.


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## ClubMan (18 Dec 2006)

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



Vanilla said:


> So in  my case I buy Kerry group milk- dawn or golden vale.


Hopefully their milk doesn't contain the same additives as some of their other products! 

[broken link removed]

Going back to the original question


> *Tesco milk or "brand name dairy" milk better quality?*


I guess it means that the "brand" of milk is not as important as the packaging and storage of same?


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## Satanta (18 Dec 2006)

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



ClubMan said:


> I guess it means that the "brand" of milk is not as important as the packaging and storage of same?



I know that I notice a difference in different brands over different times of the year. I'd assume it comes back to...


hansov said:


> ...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.


... more than one brand being "better" than another though. 

Could also be related to the packaging and storage problems being more pronounced in the Summer with higher temps and more sun light.


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## SineWave (18 Dec 2006)

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



> I guess it means that the "brand" of milk is not as important as the packaging and storage of same?




........and the processor of same. Many large brands along with supermaket own-brands come from the exact same processing line. Just depends which processor can meet their requisites at tendering time.


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## fobs (18 Dec 2006)

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

Tesco and Supervalu milk is branded milk in different cartons. Don't want to name the actual brands but they would be sold alongside the own brand for up to 60cent a cartin dearer. 

No difference in taste from the own brand milk and if you have kids who use milk as fast as mine then the plastic cartons at 1.19 a pop for 2 litres compared to 1.80 for branded is good value. Think the plastic carton causes milk to go off faster but in our house where we go through at least one 2 litre a day it doesn't get time to go off!


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## huskerdu (18 Dec 2006)

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

I cant comment on the quality of Tesco own brand milk, but Tesco in Britain have driven the price of mile down, by refusing to pay farmers cost price for the milk. Dairy farms in Britain are closing at a rate of 1 a day. At this rate, Britain will be a net importer of milk in 5 years.

The Tesco milk is probably from NI, and they paythe same below cost price as in Britain.


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## ClubMan (18 Dec 2006)

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



huskerdu said:


> but Tesco in Britain have driven the price of mile down, by refusing to pay farmers cost price for the milk.


Does the cost price take into account _EU _grants that the farmers receive?


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## Suedenim (18 Dec 2006)

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

Another one for Glenisk organic milk - it tastes great.  Reminds me of how milk tasted when I was younger.  Just be careful you don't pick up the goats milk accidently -  both cartons have identical packageing and usually stored beside eachother.


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## europhile (28 Jul 2007)

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



gillarosa said:


> Guys, Try Glenisk Organic.....a little more expensive I agree, but tastes so much better than any of the others.



Glenisk is great tackaltogether.  I only buy the low fat variety but it is so creamy that I can't begin to image what the full fat one is like.

I was amused to notice in the supermarket that they have extended their range and are now selling a Goat Yoghurt and a Kids' Yoghurt!  Very confusing for those learning the language.


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## Happy Girl (28 Jul 2007)

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

Something I myself have noticed is that milk in plastic bottles goes off quicker than in cartons. Don't know the reasoning for this but it definitely does.


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## Caveat (28 Jul 2007)

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

I used to think that too - but I now think that it is due to congealed bits of old slightly dried up milk in the 'thread' of the spout of plastic bottles.

Transfer milk that you think is 'on the turn' from a plastic bottle into something else and I think you'll often find that the smell you were getting was actually from the bottle!

I know a lot of the tetrapak milk have plastic spouts too but they don't seem to suffer from the same thing for some reason.


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## Jaid79 (29 Jul 2007)

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



DrMoriarty said:


> Whatever about the merits of cartons _vs_ plastic containers, wait until the big Irish retailers start preferring to stock that UHT muck that's so widespread on the continent...


 
DrM, 

My wife is German and every time we go to see the in laws in Germany, they use that "UHT muck". They know I like my ceral in the morning but are still confused to why I dont eat it in there house. Why do you think it is so widespread on the continent?

Jaid


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