Know where chocolate milk comes from? Almost half don’t

I just read one of the USA Today “Snapshots” surveys that said 48 percent of Americans don’t know where chocolate milk comes from –surprising to me and I hope you too.

June is National Dairy Month and seems to me it is time to further define some dairy and non-dairy products on the market. Thanks to the Dairy Association and my co-worker Diane Mason for their informative details on this topic.

Dairy milk is available in our market primarily as cow’s milk and goat’s milk. Both are sources of high-quality protein, calcium and many vitamins and minerals.

Chocolate milk is primarily sold as a cow’s milk product with added sugar and cocoa. Chocolate, or other flavored milk, have all of the major nutrients found in unflavored milk – calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, protein, riboflavin, niacin and vitamins A, B12 and D. Chocolate milk has between 8 and 12 additional grams of sugar added.

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All milk (flavored and unflavored) has the sugar lactose in it. Approximately one-half of the sugar in chocolate milk is naturally occurring lactose found in all milk.

There has been a lot of discussion on the subject of non-dairy milk and if they are or are not milk. That is up to you to decide.

• Soymilk is made from ground soybeans and filtered water. It may contain sweeteners and flavors. It is often fortified with vitamins and minerals (including calcium) to better compare to cow’s milk. Check the label.
• Rice milk is typically made from brown rice and filtered water. It may have some oil added. It also may be fortified with vitamins and minerals. It tends to be sweeter than cow’s milk.
• Almond milk is made from ground almonds and filtered water. It typically contains sweeteners and other ingredients. Some of the added ingredients improve the shelf life. It may be fortified with vitamins and minerals.
• Coconut milk is made with finely grated coconut meat that is steeped in hot water and then filtered. Regular coconut milk is higher in fat and calories than cow’s milk. Note: cream of coconut is not the same as coconut milk.
• Hemp milk is made from shelled hemp seeds and filtered water. Most contain some sweetener. It is usually fortified with vitamins and minerals. Hemp seeds used in milk making are not the variety of hemp from which marijuana is harvested. It tends to have a “grassy” flavor.
• Other seed, nut and whole grain milk can be made with a variety of seeds, nuts and whole grains. There are many on American grocery shelves including oat and hazelnut milks. In other countries you may find potato milk.
• Raw milk from cows, sheep, goats and other animals has not been pasteurized. It may contain bacteria and viruses that could cause illness in humans. It is illegal in most states to sell raw milk for human consumption. Research has not shown a difference in nutrition between pasteurized and raw milk.

Kathy R. Byrnes is Kenton County family and consumer sciences agent for University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.