But then I realized that the ingredient list starts with water as the first ingredient
In most parts of the world this means that there is more water inside than anything else.
My girlfriend said, however, that the milk content is still 98% - and just because water is at first position doesn’t mean it’s more water than milk.
So what’s up with that “milk” - and how is one supposed to read the list of ingredients: Is water the main ingredient in that one or not?
Sorry, should have clarified: I mean added water during production. Do they mix water and milk and milk powder and sell that as “milk”?
Or is it really just the natural water content of the milk that leads them to putting water at the first position?
The one I bought just says “Ingredients: 100% milk” on the label.
That, you’d have to ask the company. I’d reckon some milks may powder the milk because a lot of milk powders have lactose removed for the lactose intolerant.
Probably milk powder base. Like most countries, FDA rules state that ingredients must be listed in order of quantity, so you are right in assuming this.
It rarely is to help lacose intolerant people, its mostly due to LOADS of milk that isnt sold and dehydrated for less waste and higher profits.
If i am buying milk, i also go with the brands that are single ingredient: milk
I suspect it is no different to the UHT stuff, and could be just up in the aisle. Unless of course, they wanted it to compete alongside the pasteurised milk .
Depends on how it’s dried and reconstituted, I guess. I suppose they could in principle remove sufficient bacteria and make it to have a similar shelf life as UHT milk (say, by irradiating the powder and/or just drying UHT milk, then reconstituting in sterilized water).
Don’t know how they actually do it though, and it’s probably the regular “milk” milk in the fridges that the reconstituted milk manufacturers want their products to be alongside for cosmetic reasons.
You could probably keep the unopened ones in the regular shelf, like UHT, if it is processed the way you mention, but once you open ANYTHING it should be kept in the fridge unless it’s super salty or sugary, like Vegemite or honey… the high osmotic strength of super osmotic foods pulls water out of the bacteria and they can’t grow.
Without a doubt
.