# What Type of Factory Makes Milk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373 "2012-09-21T10:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/21 "2012-09-21T14:04:22Z")
Depending on what the cow was fed, fresh from the tap, as it were, can taste really good or really nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/22 "2012-09-21T14:13:27Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > No, hamburgers come from McDonald’s. The last time I had a hamburger, it was made from this pinkish stuff called “ground beef” (turns brown when cooked), which presumably comes from beef. PS: When I was little, I once called hamburger “ham **booger** ”, which sounds unappetizing to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/23 "2012-09-21T14:18:41Z")
Let’s not even get started on where Leather comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/24 "2012-09-21T14:29:12Z")
[The Leather Factory](http://theleatherfactory.net/)! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/25 "2012-09-21T14:44:16Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > This. I’ve seen cows being milked. The result is milk, and I think you could drink it straight, but I believe it is later processed to help preserve it and to reduce fat. That could happen at a plant outside the farm. Then you get what you see at the grocery store. Since we’re in GQ: milk processing typically occurs in three stages, pasteurization, (micro)filtering, and homogenization. Pasteurization is heating the milk to kill nasties and extend its shelf life. Filtering removes any remaining nasties. Homogenization (forcing the milk through bottlenecks at high pressure) breaks down the fat globules and increases the length of time it takes for the milk to come out of emulsion (separate into cream/fat and watery stuff, basically). ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/26 "2012-09-21T14:46:55Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > This. I’ve seen cows being milked. The result is milk, and I think you could drink it straight, but I believe it is later processed to help preserve it and to reduce fat. That could happen at a plant outside the farm. Then you get what you see at the grocery store. Most dairy farms pasteurize (heat it to kill bacteria) the milk at the farm before it is transported to the diary for processing and packaging. So it goes from the farm to places like Londonderry, Derry, NH, or anyplace else named Derry or dairy. Also, that’s why cows are put out to pasture. It’s lets them know what’s coming. If it’s hot enough outdoors the milk has already been pasteurized before it has it’s tits yanked. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/27 "2012-09-21T14:50:55Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > Milk for most of the OECD consumers arrives in wax-coated boxes or plastic bottles. Where is it manufactured? Do you children know? Nipples. You can milk anything with nipples. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/28 "2012-09-21T14:56:53Z")
I have nipples. Could you milk me? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/29 "2012-09-21T15:04:43Z")
Yes. Yes we can. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/30 "2012-09-21T15:05:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Pasteurization is heating the milk to kill nasties and extend its shelf life. Filtering removes any remaining nasties. Homogenization (forcing the milk through bottlenecks at high pressure) breaks down the fat globules and increases the length of time it takes for the milk to come out of emulsion (separate into cream/fat and watery stuff, basically). As kids, we had a book about Louise Pasteur, so naturally we wanted to know who Mr. Homogen was. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/31 "2012-09-21T15:06:00Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Yes. Yes we can. There’s usually an additional charge for that. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/32 "2012-09-21T15:08:55Z")
Chocolate milk comes from brown cows. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/33 "2012-09-21T15:13:42Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Since we’re in GQ: milk processing typically occurs in three stages, pasteurization, (micro)filtering, and homogenization. > > Pasteurization is heating the milk to kill nasties and extend its shelf life. Filtering removes any remaining nasties. Homogenization (forcing the milk through bottlenecks at high pressure) breaks down the fat globules and increases the length of time it takes for the milk to come out of emulsion (separate into cream/fat and watery stuff, basically). [That’s not the only reason for homogenization](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogenization_%28chemistry%29#Application); milk from different cows will have different levels of fats, proteins and sugars; homogenization ensures that you always have the same mix of nutrients in it, somewhat like buying meat that has a given percentage of fat (except I presume that here it is done by selecting cuts of meat, or for ground meat, adding fat/lean meat, the latter being closer to what is done with milk). ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/34 "2012-09-21T15:16:15Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Nipples. You can milk anything with nipples. So almonds, coconuts, and soys have nipples? Who knew! ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/35 "2012-09-21T15:16:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Chocolate milk comes from brown cows. No, that’s what happens when you milk chocolate, hence chocolate milk. Just like cow milk or human milk. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/36 "2012-09-21T15:24:02Z")
Chocolate has nipples? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/37 "2012-09-21T15:25:19Z")
Yeah, but I wouldn’t google them at work. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/38 "2012-09-21T15:25:48Z")
Sure it does, just look at a Hershey’s Kiss. ETA: Response to **August West**. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/39 "2012-09-21T15:30:06Z")
> [@Sally\_Mander](#): > > No, hamburgers come from McDonald’s. \*Oh the cow in the meadow goes moo Oh the cow in the meadow goes moo Then the farmer hits it on the head with a hammer And that’s how we get hamburger! Nooooooow…chickens!\* ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373/40 "2012-09-21T15:33:35Z")
I’m old enough to remember when Saddam said the US bombed a baby milk factory in the first Gulf War. Kinda odd to draw attention to a place where infants were milked, I thought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-type-of-factory-makes-milk/635373.md?page=3)