Milk is Milk, no matter where you go, right ? Apparently not.
- Milk in Australia www.dairyaustralia.com.au
- Milk in the UK www.milk.co.uk
The main difference is “Semi skimmed” milk from the UK, which is called “Low fat” milk in Australia.
According to the above links the British Semi Skimmed milk has a fat content of less than 1.7% , and the Australian Low fat milk has a fat content of less than 1.5%.
Effectively both the same.
Whole Milk
Australian Whole Milk
On average regular whole milk contains between 3.2% and 3.8% milk fat milk fat. It’s pasteurised and homogenised. Also known as full cream or whole milk.
British Whole Milk
Whole standardised milk is whole milk standardised to a minimum fat content of 3.5%.
Skim Milk
Australian Skim Milk
Has no more than 0.15% milk fat.
British Skimmed Milk
Skimmed milk has a fat content of between 0.10 -0.30%
Low Fat – Semi Skimmed Milk
Australian Reduced Fat Milk
Has approximately 2% milk fat.
Australian Low Fat Milk
Has less than 1.5% milk fat.
British Semi skimmed milk
Semi skimmed milk is the most popular type of milk in the UK with a fat content of 1.7%
The price of Milk in Australia and the UK
There are many variations of milk, and no way to do exact comparisons of all of them, so a comparison of the basic milk will do:
Tescos Own Label (from the Tesco price website 31/1/11)
Ol Whole Milk 2.272ltr/4 Pints £1.55
Woolworths Homebrand (from Woolworths price website 31/1/11)
Homebrand Milk Whole Bottle 2L $2.00
So we have a price per litre of:
- $1.09 UK (£0.68 at 1.6 A$ to the £)
- $1.00 Australia