# Milk in a bag- WHY? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990 "2005-04-25T07:25:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/21 "2005-04-25T19:58:23Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Just a nitpick: The Space Needle is in Seattle. The big pointy thingy in Toronto is the CCN Tower. šŸ˜ƒ I know itā€™s tall, three times as tall as Seattleā€™s ā€œthere, there, itā€™s all right, we can try again in a little whilteā€ tower, but as far as I know thereā€™s only one ā€œCā€ in its name. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/22 "2005-04-25T20:12:06Z")
When I worked in a restaurant, we got milk in 5 gallon bags (that came in a plastic box). When the mil was empty, youā€™d take out the box, put in the new one, and cut the plastic spigot. (the milk cooler had a weighted lever that squeezed the spigot tube shut). I called the whole process ā€œchanging the cowā€ I used to get 1/2 gallon bags because they were cheaper. (I also got a pitcher that had a notch for resealing the bag). But at my current grocery store I donā€™t think they have bags. Brian ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/23 "2005-04-25T20:16:07Z")
We used to get milk in bags all the time when I lived in Montreal in the 70s. It was cheaper that way. As has been said, we had a reusable plastic pitcher into which weā€™d plop the bag, snip off the corner, and be ready to go. Ed ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/24 "2005-04-25T20:38:49Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > All the bags are 99% in French, too. Whatā€™s with this exclusivity, French Canada? :mad: Packaging by law (and with some minor exceptions) must be in both official languages. url][http://lois.justice.gc.ca/en/C-38/C.R.C.-c.417/74651.html](http://lois.justice.gc.ca/en/C-38/C.R.C.-c.417/74651.html) > [@](#): > > All information required by the Act and these Regulations to be shown on the label of a prepackaged product shall be shown in both official languages except that the identity and principal place of business of the person by or for whom the prepackaged product was manufactured, processed, produced or packaged for resale may be shown in one of the official languages. And FWIW I grew up in a bagged-milk-and-pitcher household. ---
**Author:** ![Scarface\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Scarface\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarface_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/25 "2005-04-25T20:57:58Z")
Hmm, I think I see a market for milk bags with their own nozzle. It could be the biggest thing since boxed wine. patent pendingā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/26 "2005-04-26T01:20:07Z")
If I remember correctly, milk in bags has the advantage of not needing refrigeration. The milk is pumped into the bag, all air is removed and then the milk is pastuerized. (sp) Shipping is cheaper since you donā€™t have to keep it cool. I remember reading that in European countries milk is on the shelves with the granola and breakfast bars. Tastes better cold, so people tend to chill it before serving. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/27 "2005-04-26T01:31:58Z")
I went to college in upstate New York in the late 80s and for a while, the supermarkets sold bagged milk, I think in one-liter bags. But rather than costing less than milk in bottles or cartons, it cost more. I think they stopped selling in bags after a while. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/28 "2005-04-26T01:46:03Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > If I remember correctly, milk in bags has the advantage of not needing refrigeration. The milk is pumped into the bag, all air is removed and then the milk is pastuerized. (sp) > Shipping is cheaper since you donā€™t have to keep it cool. I remember reading that in European countries milk is on the shelves with the granola and breakfast bars. > > Tastes better cold, so people tend to chill it before serving. We still have to keep ours refrigerated. Iā€™ve seen milk in boxes, with a shelf life of a couple of months if unopened, but the milk bags stay in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/29 "2005-04-26T01:48:34Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > If I remember correctly, milk in bags has the advantage of not needing refrigeration. The milk is pumped into the bag, all air is removed and then the milk is pastuerized. (sp) > Shipping is cheaper since you donā€™t have to keep it cool. I remember reading that in European countries milk is on the shelves with the granola and breakfast bars. > > Tastes better cold, so people tend to chill it before serving. Well, I have to say that I have seen milk spoil in unopened plastic bags from not being refrigerated. Looks and smells absolutely disgusting. Then again, the milk bags that Iā€™ve seen have always had little air bubbles still inside them (so that you can ā€˜snipā€™ a corner of the bag open without spilling.) Maybe thatā€™s the reason they go bad. (shrugs.) ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/30 "2005-04-26T03:18:36Z")
To sum up the responses so far: [ul] [li]Easier to carry home?[/li][li]Easy to pour when using plastic jug technique?[/li][li]Waste efficient in size, production, weight of container, and absence of one-use carton[/li][li]Takes up little space in storage when transported[/li][li]On rare occasions is cheaper[/li][li]On rare occasions is pasteurized so as not to need refrigeration when shipped and stocked[/li]-and- [li]businesses and schools and such use them for serving machines or rarely for lunch rooms[/li][/ul] These answers are great, yet still donā€™t _quite_ answer my query- the first answer doesnā€™t fit 99% of cases who buy the milk Iā€™m sure; the second answer doesnā€™t set well- cutting the bag and pouring it into a pitcher first and then pouring isnā€™t the hardest thing to do, but buying a carton, opening and pouring is still easier; the third and fourth make absolute sense for the _manufacturer_ but not for the consumer who pays considerably more, unless that consumer is a serious environmentalist (and as popular as this stuff is in Canada, that place must be full of 'em!); and the next two are not true most of the time. The last answer makes sense, but when schools and businesses use those bags of milk with the nozzles in their milk machines (like in a college mess hall) or bags served in a lunch room, they have them shipped in, right? Not from the grocery store aisle. Is it possible that Iā€™ve asked a question that can only be answered by- CECIL HIMSELF?!!:eek: (thunder cracks) ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/31 "2005-04-26T03:41:47Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > the second answer doesnā€™t set well- cutting the bag and pouring it into a pitcher first and then pouring isnā€™t the hardest thing to do, but buying a carton, opening and pouring is still easier No, no, you donā€™t pour it _out_ of the bag and into a pitcher. The bag sits in the pitcher and you pour the milk out of the hole in the bag each time you use it. Iā€™m trying to find a pic online but Iā€™m having no luck. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/32 "2005-04-26T05:03:26Z")
I grew up in a bagged-milk household as well. Now I live alone, and buy it in litre cartons (although I recently discovered that the Big Carrot store on the Danforth in Toronto sells organic milk in _one-litre returnable glass bottles_. Thereā€™s a deposit on the bottle, and the milk tastes better too! ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/33 "2005-04-26T05:06:29Z")
[Hereā€™s a milk bag website](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/). [This is the bag](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/steps/milk8.jpg) you buy, in which are three clear bags of milk of 1 1/3 litres each. [This is how you put the bag of milk into the pitcher.](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/steps/milk4.jpg) [These are scissors. You use them to cut the tip of the bag of milk.](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/steps/milk5.jpg) [This is called pouring.](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/steps/milk6.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/34 "2005-04-26T05:39:21Z")
That site answered my question, I think- [this picture](http://home.cogeco.ca/~husky66/Milk/) shows the price of a bag of milk to be between 4 or 5 canadian dollars, which means that a buyer is getting about 2.4 gallons of milk for $4.50 by buying bagged milk! I guess I was erroneously remembering the price posted there- as I recall, we were confused b/c there was a mistake in the posting of the price. So, the answer is that even though bagged milk has itā€™s many disadvantages, it is economical (which is why consumers buy it), economical for the manufacturers to make, store, and ship, and environmentally-friendly. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/35 "2005-04-26T14:11:46Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > So, the answer is that even though bagged milk has itā€™s _**[sic]**_ many disadvantages, it is economical (which is why consumers buy it), economical for the manufacturers to make, store, and ship, and environmentally-friendly. šŸ™‚ Think of it this way: youā€™ve got three kids who drink a lot of milk. You buy it in bags - essentially in bulk - to save money. Also, it could be argued that bags take up less space in a refrigerator than cartons, since theyā€™re soft and can fit into cramped spaces more easily. Since thereā€™s just two of us in this household and we donā€™t drink much milk, we buy 2 litre cartons of 3.25% milk and 500 mL cartons of 10% coffee cream. Another little tidbit about Canadian milk: what you refer to as ā€œwholeā€ (3.25%) milk is called ā€œhomoā€ in many parts of the country. > [@](#): > > homo milk Homogenized milk. Known in the States as whole milk. Nobody here thinks twice about what images milk cartons with the word ā€œHOMOā€ in big letters on the side conjure up in the minds of Americans. [ā€¦] Homo milk is homogenized milk with a butterfat content of 3.25%. From [here](http://www.icomm.ca/emily/isms.html). Also stuff like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese being packaged as Kraft Dinner (and referred to as KD) in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/36 "2005-04-26T16:02:22Z")
They sell milk (and orange juice) in bags in Wisconsin. My father-in-law buys it because it is cheaper. Iā€™m sure, knowing him, that he would not buy milk in bags if it were not cheaper. He even got a special little snipper (magnetic, so it sticks to the fridge) to clip the corners off the bagsā€¦must have been a giveaway at whatever store he buys the milk bags from. You do still need to refrigerate it, though. Itā€™s milk in boxes (like they sell in Europe) that you can keep on the shelf until opened. Iā€™ve only seen soy milk sold that way in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/37 "2005-04-26T16:14:19Z")
I donā€™t get the whole ā€œhomo milk as a Canadian problemā€ problem ā€“ I grew up with ā€œhomoā€ milk in Port Huron, Michigan. Itā€™s short for ā€œhomogenized.ā€ Itā€™s always on those hand-painted posters that stores put up. ā€œHomo Milk, $2.99/gal.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/38 "2005-04-26T16:18:25Z")
Oh, meant to add that itā€™s UHT (ultra-high temp) Pasteurized milk thatā€™s shelf-stable. Kind of a funky flavor, but not bad when you get used to it. Gotta refrigerate after opening. All over the place when I was in Germany in the 90ā€™s, and all over the place here in Mexico. Iā€™ve seen it a little in that 'States, but itā€™s there. I always think of the brand Parlamat being associated with it. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/39 "2005-04-26T17:01:12Z")
Here in Colombia, most dairies sell milk in bags. We always buy our milk in bags because it costs less and it is easy to handle. We have a plastic container that the bag fits in. We just cut off a corner of the bag an it is easy to pour. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990/40 "2005-04-26T17:08:42Z")
Isnā€™t all the milk we drink these days homogenized? Itā€™s not like 2% and skim _arenā€™t_ ā€œhomo milkā€, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk-in-a-bag-why/300990.md?page=3)