Since before the typhoon there has been a milk shortage in northern Tainan County. I don’t know about other areas. And no one seems to be able to tell me why. Has anyone experienced difficulties in finding Milk? I mean, even Carrefour has loads or yogurt drink products, but rarely milk. What’s up?
I’ve noticed this as well. Yesterday I went to three different grocery stores before I found some that wasn’t either overpriced or close to expiry.
Yes.
Milk is a staple at the zender household; it’s frustrating to go to the supermonkey and see nothing!
It’s been harder to find for about 3 weeks now.
A week before the Typhoon, I went to the supermarket.
Holding two boxes of cereal, I strolled the aisle where I usually buy milk. Something was strange. There were many bottles and cartons shaped like milk containers, but this was the first time I did not see any bottles with “MILK” written in English.
I grabbed a bottle and within 5 seconds, a market worker runs to me and says “Bu shi niu nai” (it’s not milk).
I asked where the milk was. She told me the store will not get their next allocation in 5 days.
Perplexed, I left and got milk at 7-11.
When I asked my colleagues about this the following day, they said “Don’t you watch the news?” I said only if it’s on ESPN.
They told me that due to the extreme heat during the weekend of 8/1, cows were not producing as much milk, and stores were put on allocation.
First time in my life I’ve heard of such a thing…
Costco has Klim (reconstituted milk), and the supermarkets all have powdered milk (for adults as well as infant formula). It might taste slightly different, but it’ll get you through the shortage, and works fine in cooking and baking too.
Then, your only milk information source is… Charles Barkley… 
It’s the same way up here. I need it get my ovaltine fix. They say something about the cows feeling hot.
Many of them have actually died due to the recent hot weather. Pigs, too.
Where exactly are all the cows that produce Taiwan’s milk? I hardly ever see any, and have never seen any significant numbers in my travels around Taiwan. Surely it must take quite a lot of cows to produce milk for 23 million people.
Same here in Hualien… I get my non fat milk ordered for me at my local market and they haven’t had it for three weeks now. The clerk has told me that my best bet for milk is the powdered as they have no idea when the milk suppliers will be able to restock the stores with product on a regular basis. Lots of soy milk available though!
[quote]Where exactly are all the cows that produce Taiwan’s milk? I hardly ever see any, and have never seen any significant numbers in my travels around Taiwan. Surely it must take quite a lot of cows to produce milk for 23 million people.[/quote]Changhua County, no this isn’t a joke. A lot of small dairy farms with 20-100 dairy cows each scattered hither and thither.
you can get imported new zealand milk in jasons. and you can taste the difference. mite be a bit more expensive mind.
The cows are … starting at Xinzhu going all the way down south and east and up the Taiwan Alps …
UHT?
Taiwan had/has also pasteurized Belgian milk … 15 years shelf life …
Funny, big supermarkets’ -Carrefour, Welcome, PX Mart- milk ailes are empty, but 7-11s and Family Mart and the rest of the convenience stores still have it. 
Insider: The penalties given to the supplier in case of non delivery towards CVS (FM, 7-11) cost more than putting PX RT or Carrefour dry.
Insider: The penalties given to the supplier in case of non delivery towards CVS (FM, 7-11) cost more than putting PX RT or Carrefour dry.[/quote]
…plus profit for teh sellers, I suppose.
There’s a coverup somewhere. Sure, heat will affect lactation in dairy cows, but not to the extent that causes severe shortages in such an abrupt manner. Cows just don’t stop lactating. If they produce less milk, they do it gradually. I’d check more into the background of this story, if I were you.
I was wondering what was going on. I buy my milk at RT-Mart, and for the last month or so I can only get milk if I go early in the day; if I go later, there’s nothing but tons of yogurt drinks in bottles that look like milk bottles.
In the past I never had problems buying milk at 10pm.
Too hot for the cows? I’ve experienced hotter summers in Taiwan, but I’ve never seen this happen before.
UHT?
Taiwan had/has also pasteurized Belgian milk … 15 years shelf life …[/quote]
you can get UHT but the stuff I got wasn’t. Have to say it tasted great. Meanwhile some of the local stuff I’ve bought lately because the normal Guangchuan or Weichuan has gone missing tastes like what it probably is…powdered milk with water.