Milk bag

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A milk bag Milkbag.jpg
A milk bag
Pitcher used to hold a milk bag Milk Bag Plastic Pitcher.jpg
Pitcher used to hold a milk bag

A milk bag is a flexible plastic pouch used to package milk and is used in some areas instead of a hardened milk jug, or as an alternative to it. Usually one of the corners is cut off to allow for pouring, and the bag is stored in a pitcher.

Contents

A typical milk bag contains approximately 1 L (1.8 imperial pints) of milk in South America, Iran, Israel, and continental European countries, while in Canada they contain 1+1⁄3 L (2.3 imp pt), and in India, 0.5 L (0.9 imp pt). [1]

In the Baltic rim countries and some Eastern European countries, similar bags may also be seen used for packaging yogurt or kefir.

Benefits

For producers, it is easier to vary portion size when sealing bags than cartons, as well as lowering the cost of packaging. Milk bags also take up less space in the garbage. For consumers, bags typically allow for smaller portion sizes. This theoretically reduces the risk of spoilage, as well as the space and location of storage in the fridge. [2]

Recycling

While milk bags use less plastic than standard plastic bottles or jugs, empty bags are often not accepted for recycling when mixed with other plastics. [3] In Canada, where recycling services are municipally or regionally managed, milk bags may not always be recycled. In some municipalities milk bags are required to be discarded as garbage [4] and in others they are recyclable. [5]

By country and region

This is not an exhaustive list of all the countries where bagged milk is commonly sold.

Canada

Neilson Dairy milk bags and cartons in Ontario, Canada Bagged Milk in Store (3293358107).jpg
Neilson Dairy milk bags and cartons in Ontario, Canada

In Canada, milk was packaged in heavy, reusable Imperial unit glass milk bottles, cardboard cartons and plastic jugs until 1967, when DuPont, using European equipment, introduced plastic bags to store and sell milk; these bags gained widespread acceptance due to 1970s Metrication in Canada, when bottles, jugs, and cartons had to be redesigned and manufactured in metric units; milk bag packaging machines could easily be resized. [6] [7] [8]

The consumer public preferred plastic jugs for years, but largely accepted the new containers in parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes in the 1970s. [9] Regulation in Ontario that required retailers to collect a deposit on milk jugs, but not bags, also motivated the practice. [10]

Milk bags are sold (typically packaged three in a larger 4L sack) in parts of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, but no longer widely sold in western Canada, in Newfoundland and Labrador, or the territories. [9]

India

Milk bags are commonplace in India, [11] with an estimated 30% of milk sold in the country being packaged this way. [12] There has been limited compliance from dairy businesses in buying back consumer plastic as required by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. [13]

Israel

Israeli milk bags Israeli Milk Bag.jpg
Israeli milk bags

In Israel, milk in a bag is the most common type of packaging for milk. They became the standard form of milk packaging in the 1960s, with the discontinuation of glass bottles. In Israel, the milk bag is a regulated product, which means that its price is controlled by the state. Therefore, there are price differences between the milk bags and the other alternatives available for marketing milk — plastic bottles or milk cartons. Due to the price differences, a relationship was observed between the socioeconomic status of the consumer and the type of milk container that they customarily purchased. The higher the socio-economic status of the purchaser, the more likely they are to buy milk in cartons rather than in bags, despite the higher price of cartons. Based on these differences, Blue Square Network created a way to measure the socioeconomic status of an area based on the sales ratio of milk cartons versus bagged milk. The higher the ratio of the former to the latter, the higher the status of the region in Israel. [14] For religious Jews, opening a bag of milk can be considered problematic on Shabbat, because the action requires cutting. Eli Yishai, Israel's former minister of internal affairs, used empty milk bags in the Knesset as props to complain about price-hikes in the cost of milk. [15]

South America

Milk bag packaging machine Milk bag packaging machine.jpg
Milk bag packaging machine

Milk bags are also commonly used in Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. [16]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Sainsbury's began a pilot experiment on distributing milk in bags in 2008 in conjunction with Dairy Crest. [17] It was originally targeted at 35 stores at the same price as a regular 2-imperial-pint (1.1 L) plastic bottle of milk. [18] The product was expanded nationwide in 2010, at which point the bags retailed at a discounted price compared to traditional containers, [19] [20] but stopped in early 2015. [21]

United States

DuPont introduced milk bags to American schools in 1989; by 1993 three million pouches a day were being served in 24 states. [22] However, the popularity of them waned. There appears to only be one verified school district, in Omaha, NE, using bagged milk as recently as 2015. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuse of bottles</span> Waste management

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carton</span> Type of domestic container

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Container-deposit legislation</span> Return of beverage containers for refund

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic bag</span> Type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile

A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals, and waste. It is a common form of packaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bin bag</span> Disposable bag used to contain solid waste material

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass milk bottle</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk crate</span> Square or rectangular interlocking boxes

Milk crates are square or rectangular interlocking boxes that are used to transport milk and other products from dairies to retail establishments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic milk container</span> Plastic bottle used to store commercially sold milk

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">TerraCycle</span> American industrial company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Packet (container)</span> Small bag or pouch

A packet or sachet is a small bag or pouch, made from paper, foil, plastic film or another type of packing material, often used to contain single-use quantities of foods or consumer goods such as ketchup or shampoo. Packets are commonly opened by making a small rip or tear in part of the package, and then squeezing out the contents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boil-in-bag</span> Packaged food product

Boil-in-bags are a form of packaged food products in which bagged food is heated or cooked in boiling water. Plastic bags can be solid and impermeable for holding frozen foods; alternatively, bags can be porous or perforated to allow boiling water into the bag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Package handle</span> Packaging component

Package handles, or carriers, are used to help people use packaging. They are designed to simplify and to improve the ergonomics of lifting and carrying packages. Handles on consumer packages add convenience and help facilitate use and pouring. The effect of handles on package material costs and the packaging line efficiencies are also critical. A handle can be defined as “an accessory attached to a container or part for the purpose of holding or carrying.” Sometimes a handle can be used to hang a package for dispensing or use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Packaging waste</span> Post-use container and packing refuse

Packaging waste, the part of the waste that consists of packaging and packaging material, is a major part of the total global waste, and the major part of the packaging waste consists of single-use plastic food packaging, a hallmark of throwaway culture. Notable examples for which the need for regulation was recognized early, are "containers of liquids for human consumption", i.e. plastic bottles and the like. In Europe, the Germans top the list of packaging waste producers with more than 220 kilos of packaging per capita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow sack</span> Standard waste container in Germany and Austria

In Germany and Austria, the term yellow bag refers to a thin, yellowish transparent plastic bag, in which, in the context of local waste disposal, any waste made of plastic, metal or composite materials can be handed in. Depending on the agreement with the cities and municipalities, it may also be possible to use a 'yellow bin'. Yellow bags or yellow bins are part of the Dual System in the German waste management industry.

References

  1. ↑ Washburn, Devin; Sumar, Sai. "What's up with Bagged Milk?". Lucky Peach. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Nosowitz, Dan (2015-10-20). "What's The Point Of Milk That Comes In Plastic Bags?". Modern Farmer . Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  3. ↑ "Can I Recycle Plastic Bags in the Recycling Bin?". Plastics Make it Possible. 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "City of Ottawa - Recycling and Garbage - Milk Bags". App06.ottawa.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  5. ↑ "Recycling List - City of Peterborough" (PDF). peterborough.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  6. ↑ Jackson, Lisa (27 Feb 2017). "Why Do Canadians Drink Bagged Milk?". www.foodnetwork.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  7. ↑ Gibson, Brittany (2021-07-09). "This Is Why Canadians Drink Milk Out of Bags". Reader's Digest -US. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  8. ↑ Houck, Brenna (2019-10-21). "Why America's Milk Is Sold in Cartons, Not Bags". Eater. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  9. 1 2 Kelly, Cathal (2010-02-04). "So we drink milk from bags. Does that make us weird?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  10. ↑ Heydari, Anis (January 2, 2020). "Here's why milk comes in bags in parts of Canada". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  11. ↑ Rogers, Thomas (25 February 2010). "The future of dairy: Milk in a bag". Salon. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Sharma, Shardul (15 September 2022). "Pouched milk has revolutionized the Indian milk market". South Asia Packaging. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Plastic ban: Most dairies in Maharashtra yet to start buying back and recycling of milk pouches". Indian Express. October 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Yefet, Orna (8 Dec 2003). "L-2834517,00.html On the relationship between buying milk and socioeconomic status". www.ynet.co.il. Retrieved 1 May 2018.[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "הכנסת: אלי ישי הניף שקית חלב במחאה על ייקור מחירה" [Knesset: Eli Yishai waved a bag of milk in protest of a price increase.]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 2005-01-31. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  16. ↑ Chertoff, Emily (2012-08-01). "The Surprising History of the Milk Carton". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
  17. ↑ Blades, Hollye (2008-06-09). "Pinta goes green as supermarkets offer shoppers the chance to buy milk in a bag". The Times. London. Retrieved 16 Aug 2021.
  18. ↑ Neate, Rupert (2008-06-09). "Milk in bags hits Sainsbury's shelves". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  19. ↑ Wallop, Harry (2010-02-24). "Milk in a bag at Sainsbury's". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14.
  20. ↑ "Jug It says it has nationwide success" . www.fponthenet.net. Food Processing Magazine. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  21. ↑ "Sainsburys discontinues Milk bags - X / Twitter". Twitter . Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  22. ↑ O'Harrow, Robert (1993-09-11). "SCHOOL MILK CARTONS MAY FACE EXPULSION -US". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  23. ↑ Schools replace milk carton with milk bags, 8 October 2015, retrieved 2022-09-12
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