# 3% milk

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 1, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969 "2003-06-01T18:21:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/1 "2003-06-01T18:21:10Z")

</div>

We have 1%, 2%, skim (0%) and whole (100%) milk. so why no 3%?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SRVick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@SRVick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SRVick)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/2 "2003-06-01T18:25:57Z")

</div>

The percent is a measure of the amount of milkfat, not the percentage that is milk. I do not recall what the percentage of whole milk is, but not 100%.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/3 "2003-06-01T18:30:08Z")

</div>

Your percentages are misleading. 2% milk is 2% milkfat and likewise for 1% milk. However, whole milk is not “100%”. That implies that it is all milkfat (insert gross smiley here). IIRC, whole milk has somewhere between 3 and 4% milkfat. There is no good reason to process milk that has a rather small difference in fat content from whole milk.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/4 "2003-06-01T18:30:15Z")

</div>

Sorry, I thought it was obvious I meant it the way you mean!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/5 "2003-06-01T18:32:56Z")

</div>

Whole milk is [3.5%](http://www.moomilk.com/faq.htm#What's%20the%20difference%20between%20the%20different%20%20kinds%20%20of%20milk) milkfat. Actually, I think Jersey cows give richer milk than Holsteins. Lemme go see if I can find a cite now…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-milk/178969/6 "2003-06-01T18:39:38Z")

</div>

Crap, try this for the earlier link: [http://tinyurl.com/d6wr](http://tinyurl.com/d6wr)

Anyway, a listing of milkfat percentages is [here](http://world.std.com/~kcl/Rcheesefat.html): Jerysey cow is 5.5%, and Holstein is 3.3%.