Consumer milk

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Differentiation is made according to the type of heat treatment to which milk is subjected:

• pasteurised or fresh milk,
• ESL (extended shelf life) milk,
• ultra-high heated (long-life) milk,
• sterilised milk

Differentiation is also made according to the fat content in milk:

• whole milk contains natural levels of fat, generally at least 3.8 to 4.3 percent,
• whole milk with adjusted fat content of at least 3.5 percent,
• low-fat or partially skimmed milk with a fat content of at least 1.5 percent and a maximum of 1.8 percent,
• skimmed milk with a fat content of no more than 0.5 percent.

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Raw milk

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is the term used for milk which has not been heat processed and which is sold directly to consumers by dairy operators (ex-farm sales). The sale of such milk to consumers requires that buyers are informed about the need to boil the milk before consumption. Dairy operators are also obliged to sell this kind of milk within one day of milking.

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Grade A milk

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is raw milk, the extraction and marketing of which is subject to particularly stringent hygiene regulations. Food retailers sell grade A milk in packaged form, and it needs to be boiled prior to consumption.

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Organic milk

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In Germany, only such foods which meet the requirements outlined in the EC's regulation on organic foods may be labelled for sale as being "organic”. One of the things this regulation defines is how dairy cows are fed. Milk produced by organic dairy operators is collected separately, is kept separate by manufacturers and then processed separately as well. Organic-milk products have the same content makeup as conventional milk.