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Exposing the Secrets of Industrial Creameries:

written by

Kenton Nolt

posted on

May 16, 2023

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Hello everyone,

I'm sure you all asked yourself this question. Why is the new raw A2A2 butter so expensive? 

Well lets just say it a long story but i'll try to make it as short as possible.

Have you ever wondered about the practices employed by industrial dairy processing companies? They have a longstanding reputation as "creameries," a term that speaks to the big part that cream plays in their operations. Creameries traditionally receive whole milk, separate the cream, and utilize it to create an array of products such as butter, ice cream, whipping cream, and cheese. Meanwhile, they endeavor to market the remaining water content, commonly known as skim milk, at full price to unsuspecting consumers.

However, a conundrum arises when well-informed mothers insist on purchasing whole milk that retains its full cream content. If all the cream remains in the milk, the creameries are left without the essential ingredient they rely on. So, how do they address this issue? Let's explore the clever tactics employed, and you can form your own judgment. 

Tactic #1: Mislabeling Whole Milk

Even for those discerning moms who pay for and demand full-fat whole milk, a portion of the cream is removed without their knowledge. This is achieved through a process known as "standardization." Allow me to illustrate this practice with a real-life example. Suppose a farmer supplies milk from Jersey cows, which typically contains 5.25% cream. The creamery may remove over a third of the cream but still market the remaining milk as "whole milk," even though it now contains only 3.25% cream. Is this an act of cream theft? That's for you to decide.

To me, this practice appears deceitful. When I purchase "whole milk," I expect to receive the entirety of the milk's cream content, don't you?

This particular industry-accepted standardization practice allows the creamery to collect 1,200 pints of cream from each truckload of milk. While this may seem insignificant, consider that even a moderately sized creamery can process 10-20 truckloads daily. That amounts to 12,000 to 24,000 pints of cream quietly stolen from supposedly "whole milk" in a single day's work. Not a bad haul, wouldn't you say?

Tactic #2: Concealing the Cream

But how can the creameries prevent discerning consumers from noticing the missing cream? After all, these consumers are not blind, and their intelligence cannot be underestimated. Ah, I've got it! Let's force the milk and cream through very small openings at extremely high pressures. This extreme pressure will obliterate the fat globules, preventing them from floating to the top. Consequently, the cream will no longer form a distinct layer. Problem solved! By marketing this milk as "homogenized," we can conveniently inform consumers that shaking their milk is no longer necessary. Smooth move!

Tactic #3: Manipulating Consumer Preferences

In an intriguing twist, the creameries aim to manipulate consumers into desiring skim milk or, at the very least, low-fat milk. They strive to create such a strong desire that consumers willingly pay nearly the same price as they would for whole milk. The creameries employ fear tactics, claiming that whole milk leads to weight gain and poses risks to children. They inundate consumers with dubious claims that skim milk promotes heart health. It matters little whether the scientific evidence is flimsy, unverified, or even incorrect—these assertions are made anyway. After all, they simply cannot allow consumers to retain all the cream!

The greater the number of consumers persuaded to choose skim milk, the better for the creameries. If they can successfully manipulate public opinion, convincing everyone that skim milk is the superior option, they get to keep all the cream from their milk. Just imagine the possibilities! Sixty thousand pints of free cream obtained in a single day's work at the creamery—a veritable dreamland.

Now, perhaps my depiction leans toward the dramatic, but it serves to highlight two essential points.

First, the three methods mentioned above reveal the truth behind how industrial creameries acquire their cream. These tactics allow them to produce and sell cheap butter.

Second, rest assured that we refuse to employ such methods to obtain cream. If others choose to do so, that is their choice, and it is up to them and their customers. We, on the other hand, distance ourselves from such practices and remain committed to providing you with farm fresh foods you can trust. 

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