This has bugged me for a long time…
Milk is readily available on the ROC, but I never see any cows… and if I saw how they were treated, I’d probably cry.
I don’t drink milk but this Gutter Oil got me rethinking about where and how the milk arrives in Taiwan.
In Hualien and some in Yilan. A few for meat in Kinmen.
But most milk comes from Australia, dry, and is “reconstituted” here… adding water.
That’s what I reckon aswell, 10% Taiwanese milk and 90% mixed in cheap powder stuff.
That’s what I reckon aswell, 10% Taiwanese milk and 90% mixed in cheap powder stuff.
I find that the local milk (local being a big ?) tastes very watery. I’m guessing it’s weekly made up mild powder
I often visit ranches and cow farms in Taiwan. There are quite a few in Changhua and Hualien in particular. They contract with the dairy firms, which are often part of big conglomerates like Weichuan and President. Some of the dairy operations look awful from the outside, often located in industrial areas etc.
I believe they will mix with foreign milk simply from a cost perspective as it’s obviously a lot more expensive to product milk on small farms in a tropical country like Taiwan than in countries that specialise in it like Ireland, NZ, Australia…
The milk here also doesn’t seem to go off, even though it uses the lower temperature pasteurisation process instead of UHT. That’s weird, as milk in Ireland goes off in a few days yet temperatures are far far lower in Ireland. So either they are using some kind of boil water-add milk powder process or adding a shit load of antibiotics somewhere along the process.
Either mixing (wonder if it is mentioned on the cartons) or some wild chemistry on the go.
I’ve stumbled into a pig farm before and gave up pork products literally on the spot. It’s maximum security hell for those poor creatures… Makes me curious about Taiwan’s animal rights regulation for agriculture.
As far as I am aware “agriculture” is exempted (in practice if not on paper) from virtually all laws relating to animal welfare, for no apparent reason.
This is true in pretty much every country, including self-proclaimed “civilised” ones. What goes on in USDA-approved slaughterhouses would give anyone PTSD.
I’ve seen a few dairy farms here and there … housing cows imported from temperate climates, in unsanitary, unpleasant, and inefficient conditions. What makes this even more stupid is that Asian bovines (bubalus spp., which resemble cows) can thrive well if free-ranged in hot climates, and produce milk of excellent quality. Logic and business sense rarely makes any showing in agricultural practice, IMO, nevermind human decency.
Years ago my father asked me the very same question on his first visit to Taiwan. I explained to him that due to land constraints, Taiwanese cows were raised underground in large man-made caves with artificial lighting.
I must have sounded convincing, because he believed it for most of a decade. Back in London he had quite a few Taiwanese grad students and would sometimes mention Taiwan’s underground cows to them in conversation. They would smile and nod politely.
Oh please, this isn’t 1970. 
Look for this sticker on your milk bottle (most will have it):
Its presence indicates that the milk is fresh and not reconstituted.
As well it carries information regarding production of the milk, as seen here
I think Taiwan has some goats. I remember drinking goat milk at school when I was much younger…hated it. For some reason I though milk was animal piss.
[quote=“Rocket”][quote=“Icon”]In Hualian and some in Yilan. A few for meat in Kinmen (Jinmen) (Jinmen).
But most milk comes from Australia, dry, and is “reconstituted” here… adding water.[/quote]
Oh please, this isn’t 1970. 
Look for this sticker on your milk bottle (most will have it):
Its presence indicates that the milk is fresh and not reconstituted.
As well it carries information regarding production of the milk, as seen here[/quote]
Yep, that one also says: locally produced. Which we can assume safely is not enough. I do know from classmates who work at acquisitions departments from major food companies that yogurt products, so called cheese and others are made from imported powdered milk.
Your link is to organic produce. I am talking about most milk or milk like products available say at 711 and Wellcome and other ready to reach places. Organic is a whole different ball game.
Anyways, as to government seals and inspections… sigh
[quote=“Icon”][quote=“Rocket”][quote=“Icon”]In Hualian and some in Yilan. A few for meat in Kinmen (Jinmen) (Jinmen) (Jinmen).
But most milk comes from Australia, dry, and is “reconstituted” here… adding water.[/quote]
Oh please, this isn’t 1970.
Look for this sticker on your milk bottle (most will have it):
Its presence indicates that the milk is fresh and not reconstituted.
As well it carries information regarding production of the milk, as seen here[/quote]
Yep, that one also says: locally produced. Which we can assume safely is not enough. I do know from classmates who work at acquisitions departments from major food companies that yogurt products, so called cheese and others are made from imported powdered milk.
Your link is to organic produce. I am talking about most milk or milk like products available say at 711 and Wellcome and other ready to reach places. Organic is a whole different ball game.
Anyways, as to government seals and inspections… sigh[/quote]
Pretty much every bottle of milk on the shelf at Wellcome, PX Mart, Family Mart, 7-11, and other places bears this sticker.
This sticker means the milk is fresh and hasn’t been reconstituted from powder or concentrate.
Distrust the government as you wish, but their track record certainly outdoes those of private companies in terms of food safety and quality.
So, to recap, for the logistically challenged, this:
Is simply not true.
You believe those stickers? Well good for you…have some Taiwan olive oil and soya sauce and Taiwan tea while you are at it 
.
Take a bit of this, add a bit of that, more profit. GMP certs in Taiwan mean nothing.
The government inspection agency is riddled with corruption and local governments usually have the power to fine and monitor food companies, not national agencies. Do you know what that means in places like Changhua, Hualien or Miaoli?
Even if most of the milk is produced in Taiwan from Taiwan cows, how come it doesn’t go off for ages? What are they doing with the stuff?
It is very watery too as somebody who grew up drinking the real deal, they screw around with it a lot that’s for sure.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]You believe those stickers? Well good for you…have some Taiwan olive oil and soya sauce and Taiwan tea while you are at it 
.
Take a bit of this, add a bit of that, more profit.
The government inspection agency is riddled with corruption and local governments usually have the power to fine and monitor food companies, not national agencies. Do you know what that means in places like Zhanghua, Hualian or Miaoli?[/quote]
Read the papers Rocket , you are looking a bit silly now.
you don’t know much about how business operates in the hinterlands. Its usually done on a ‘what I don’t know I can’t be blamed on basis’. Only last year milk was all withdrawn from the shelves of supermarkets around the country only reappearing a week later. Why would they have withdrawn their milk if they knew it was okay?
m.focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201409090033.aspx
It’s the local governments corrupt actions which cause so many problems in Taiwan. They are corrupt from top to bottom.
[quote=“Icon”]
Yep, that one also says: locally produced. Which we can assume safely is not enough. I do know from classmates who work at acquisitions departments from major food companies that yogurt products, so called cheese and others are made from imported powdered milk.
Your link is to organic produce. I am talking about most milk or milk like products available say at 711 and Wellcome and other ready to reach places. Organic is a whole different ball game.
Anyways, as to government seals and inspections… sigh[/quote]
FYI, in the west many dairy companies add powdered milk throughout the year (more so in winter) to their fresh milk when making yogurt, fresh cheese (cottage cheese) to assure proteine and fat content is the same.
Watery milk? Remove some protein solids, fat, lactose … add water to get a bigger volume … use fat/protein to make cream, fat to make butter than turn into ghee and can it … use milk lactose to turn into oligosaccharides …