When we were in Europe last month I shared how almost all of the milk options in the supermarket are not refrigerated and are considered “shelf stable.” It stirred up quite a bit of discussion on Facebook…
Have you ever noticed how some milk here in the US is not refrigerated either? Why is it that these small individual sized organic milk containers in the US aren’t sold cold? If you haven’t already noticed almost all the commercialized organic milk options here in the US are Ultra High-Temperature Pasteurized (UHT) – which is actually the same process widely used in Europe – but that still doesn’t answer why some versions are refrigerated and some aren’t. The only difference is the packaging. Just like the pictured Organic Valley “Single Serve” milk boxes, almost all European milk is UHT and put into what is called aseptic (i.e. sterilized) packaging. UHT milk can last for several months in this type of packaging without spoiling…at least until you open it at which point the shelf life does shorten and it does need to be stored in the fridge.
Why Some Milk Is Not Refrigerated (and an explanation of UHT)Read More