Why is there no fresh milk in France?
The fact that it keeps without refrigeration is also practical in a warmer climate and it reduces distribution costs and waste. UHT milk in France is marked as keeping for three months unopened, although it is actually usable for six to nine months.
They sell every kind of milk in France including pink top especially for kids. If by "fresh cows milk" you mean straight from the cow to consumer then you might have some research to do. Otherwise your friends are ill informed as green and blue top are available in any supermarket in France.
In order to keep, the milk must be kept refrigerated. In France, the land of Pasteur himself, milk is pasteurized using a method called “ultra-high temperature” processing, or “UHT,” that heats the liquid to above 275 degrees for a few seconds.
While American milk is pasteurized too – to keep for a few weeks – in France, it's “ultra-high temperature” (UHT) pasteurized, heated to 275 degrees as opposed to the 60 to 100 to which American milk is. The resulting shelf-stable milk, which makes up 95.5 percent of all milk consumed in France, has a (frightening?)
But in France, raw milk cheese is a very big deal, long considered safe and revered for its flavor. The country cultivates its 350-plus cheeses — many of which are made with raw milk — like children, claiming that the bacteria in the raw milk impart unique characteristics – grassy, metallic, buttery and so on.
Lait frais: Fresh pasteurized milk.
The difference between fresh and long-life milk is the method of processing. Fresh (pasteurised) milk is heated to 74°C for 15 seconds. Long-life milk is heated to 140°C for two seconds and then packaged aseptically.
European food safety experts took a different tack: They left the cuticle intact, made it illegal for egg producers to wash eggs, discouraged refrigeration (which can cause mildew growth—and bacterial contamination—should the eggs sweat as they come back to room temps), and started a program of vaccinating chickens ...
The UHT process exposes milk to a higher temperature for a shorter period of time than HTST. Dairy pasteurized using the UHT method can be kept at room temperature for up to six months unopened, but still must be refrigerated after opening.
You may not have realized that Europeans actually buy and store their milk outside of the fridge. The reason is a simple one: Europeans rely on a completely different pasteurization method. Canadian and American milk manufacturers utilize high-temperature, short-time pasteurization.
Which milk is best in France?
LACTEL, Number 1 in milk in France | Lactalis international.
| USA | France | |
|---|---|---|
| Whole milk (3.5%) | Red | Red |
| Reduced fat milk (2%) | Blue | |
| Semi-skim milk (1.5%) | Blue | |
| Low fat milk (1%) | Yellow or purple |
French people typically eat pastries, breads, eggs, and yogurt for breakfast. From croissants and pain au chocolat to omelets and crêpes, these breakfast foods will give you a boost of energy.
Raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and others that cause foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” These bacteria can seriously injure the health of anyone who drinks raw milk or eats products made from raw milk.
Raw Milk Producers Aim To Regulate Themselves
According to NASDA's most recent survey, conducted in 2011, raw milk sales are legal in 30 states, with a variety of restrictions on how it can be sold. Twelve — including California, Pennsylvania and Utah — allow raw milk sales in retail stores.
Experts state that raw milk is not safe to drink because it can carry many dangerous germs, such as Brucella, campylobacter, cryptosporidium, E. coli, listeria, and salmonella. These bacteria can pose serious health problems, especially if you have an immune deficiency.
We believe that the closest equivalent in France is creme entiere (sometimes labelled as creme liquide entiere or Creme Fleurette de Normandie).
French butter is indeed higher in fat than American butter – about 82 percent minimum, as opposed to the 80 percent required in the U.S. But in addition to being higher in fat, French butter is also cultured, a process whereby live active cultures are added to the cream before the butter is churned.
What is crème fraîche? Crème fraîche (French for “fresh cream”) is a (bet you didn't see this coming) French dairy product. It's a soured cream, which means bacteria has been added to ferment it, has a thick texture and contains up to 30% butterfat (yes this is an actual term).
The nutritional value of UHT milk and fresh milk are the same when it comes to the main nutrients in milk, such as protein, calcium and Vitamin D. UHT treatment may reduce the level of some heat sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C, but milk is not the main source of these nutrients in the first place.
What are the disadvantages of UHT milk?
Disadvantage of UHT milk: 1. Milk quality issues / Alteration of flavor – Complaints include a “cooked” flavor, a stale/oxidized flavor, bitter taste due to peptides generated by heat-stable proteases, or a rancid/acid/sour flavor due to residual bacterial enzyme activity.
Like chilled milk, long life or UHT milk is a rich source of essential nutrients and provides the same great health benefits. UHT (ultra heat treatment) milk contains the same nutrients as chilled milk - calcium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, zinc, vitamins A and B12, magnesium, carbohydrate and protein.
You can now buy pasteurised milk in France (which used to be hard to find as all milk was UHT) which is marketed as "lait frais" but all milk for drinking in France is heat treated and therefore safe to drink for pregnant women. Any milk you buy in a supermarket is pasteurized, sterilized, or microfiltered.
The bottles or cartons are color coded -- red for whole milk, blue for 2% skimmed, green for non fat.
Lactel is a brand of French company Lactalis specializing in organic milk products.
