Powdered Milk Vs "Real" Milk Availability In Bkk?

[Grawburg]

Someone told my wife that the only non-powdered milk available in BKK is Umm..Milk. She is convinced that powdered milk is inferior to "real" milk. Anyone got any confirmation if this is true about Ummm..Milk and if it even matters?

[RedNIvar]

When in doubt, there's wikipedia. Growing up we use to use powdered milk (Klim, Foremost, etc), tasted fine. You're right, I do not recall ever seeing powdered milk here in Bangkok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdered_milk

[NorfolkBoy]

You can indeed buy powdered milk here in Thailand. We use it in our bread making machine and my wife buys it up here in Uttaradit from a stall/shop in Uttaradit market which seems to specialise in baking products

[Gippy]

Is your wife suggesting that the regular milk you can buy everywhere such as Meiji etc. is made up from powered milk imported from say, China? If so, I think she could be on to something. After being here a few years I bought some Umm Milk when we went to Chok Chai farm for the day, after one sip I remembered that this is what milk is supposed to taste like. To me the difference is so big that there has to be something funny going on with Meiji etc.

Easy to test for yourself, buy some Umm Milk and try.

[Grawburg]

Gippy - yes this is what i mean. The Ummm is the only milk available that has "stayed" milk from cow to store whereas the others are powdered, shipped to Thailand, and then reconstituted in Thailand and put on the shelves....I can't tell a difference but she is convinced.

[theseahorse]

I've never heard this before, but it would explain why most of the milk here tastes so bad. And why it doesn't go off!

But Ummm Milk isn't the only good milk here. There are a few that taste like real milk, ChokChai Milk and Dairy Home? (the one in the smaller bottles) all taste real too.

[arkom]

Villa Market has some real California milk imported from California, only problem is that its twice as expensive as Thai brands.

[androssi]

Hi,

This is becoming a hotly debated topic in Thailand, as one of the foreign JV dairy company's is using social media to create some confusion as to the type of milk available and the sources of it. The issue is being further confused by opponents of the NZ/Australia FTA (main milk powder sources).

I am working in the Food Industry in Thailand, so I will try and provide some clarity.

Firstly, some facts on the supply situation...

1) Thailand, whilst they have the best dairy industry in South-East Asia, is very very far from self-sufficient for milk. This means alot of milk powder needs to be imported to satisfy the market demands.

2) Whilst work is being done on developing the dairy industry, the market demands are growing at least as fast as the raw milk development, meaning the self-sufficiency picture is not improving.

3) Of the available raw milk, one of the largest demands on this is Thailand's school milk programme which, by statute, must use Thai produced milk (no imported powder!)

4) The Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation (DPO or Red Cow brand) also must only use Thai produced raw milk in their products.

5) The remaining Thai milk is then used in various degrees by all the other local and foreign manufacturers.

So, quite simply, Thialand needs to have milk powder imports to supplement their own production, or people will have alot less dairy products and other food products to consume.

Therefore, all the major dairy manufacturers in Thailand are using milk powder in their products to supplement the milk that they buy locally.

(I don't want to add economics to the debate, but importing milk powder is NOT costing Thai consumers more than locally produced raw milk)

So, then onto the processing and product side;

Liquid milk can exist in 4 forms in the consumer market;

1) Raw milk. Means straight from the cow/farm. Has undergone NO heat treatment, It is illegal to sell in most countries due to the risk of disease.

2) Pasteurised milk. Heat treated at 75 degrees C for 15 seconds. Must be kept chilled. Typical shelf-life is 7-10 days - especially in a climate like Thailand.

3) Extended shelf-life pasteurised milk. Heat treated at 130-133 degrees C for 2-4 seconds. Must be kept chilled. Typical shelf-life is 20-30 days - especially in a climate like Thailand. If ESL milk is not kept chilled it will only have the same shelflife as pasturised milk. ESL technology is mostly seen in USA, and is used by at least one of the large processors in Thailand

4) Ultra high temperature milk. Heat treated at 138-145 degrees C for 4 seconds. Must be packed into sterile packages under a sterile environment. Does not need to be stored chilled. Typical shelf-life is 4-12 months - Shelf-life is achieved by sterile product in a sterile pack - there are no preservatives or anything added. UHT technology is widely used in Europe and Asia.

In terms of "quality" there is no significant difference between 2), 3), and 4). The main nutritional components consumers want in milk are protein and calcium (and fat for children) and some other mineral and vitamins. None of the main nutritional components are significantly affected by any of these 3 heat treatments.

Consumers will find milk on the market here with different fat and protein contents. These are nothing to do with the heat treatment technique. They are due to either manufacturer or consumer preference (low fat milk for example)

Finally, "taste". As with all food, it is in the hand (or mouth!) of the consumer. If you find something you like, and it has the quality and nutritional content you want, then buy it!

Edited July 25, 2011 by androssi

[anyone]

https://shopee.co.th/หัวนมผง-(ประเทศนิวซีแลนด์)-(WHOLE-MILK-POWDER-New-Zealand)-25-กิโลกรัม-กระสอบ-i.242591520.6337566244

 

A liter of whole milk will be 60 baht. Has anyone tasted?

Edited August 21, 2023 by anyone

[BritManToo]

Someone revived a 12 year old topic!

Edited August 21, 2023 by BritManToo

[KannikaP]

On 7/24/2011 at 11:02 PM, arkom said:

Villa Market has some real California milk imported from California

Really. I would never have guessed! 555

[steven100]

I believe coffee mate is just powdered milk,  ....   Meiji milk taste funny and not like real cows milk,  Chok Chai milk tastes like fresh cows milk .  

[JimTripper]

Big C sells powdered milk. The box has people running on it.