Editing Milk (section)

===Distribution===
[[File:Glass milk bottles.jpg|thumb|upright|Returning reusable glass [[milk bottle]]s, used for home delivery service in the UK]]
Due to the short shelf life of normal milk, it used to be delivered to households daily in many countries; however, improved refrigeration at home, changing food shopping patterns because of supermarkets, and the higher cost of home delivery mean that daily deliveries by a [[milkman]] are no longer available in most countries.

====Australia and New Zealand====
In Australia and [[New Zealand]], prior to [[metrication]], milk was generally distributed in 1 pint (568{{nbsp}}mL) glass bottles. In Australia and Ireland there was a government funded "free milk for school children" program, and milk was distributed at morning recess in 1/3 pint bottles. With the conversion to metric measures, the milk industry was concerned that the replacement of the pint bottles with 500{{nbsp}}mL bottles would result in a 13.6% drop in milk consumption; hence, all pint bottles were recalled and replaced by 600{{nbsp}}mL bottles. With time, due to the steadily increasing cost of collecting, transporting, storing and cleaning glass bottles, they were replaced by cardboard cartons. A number of designs were used, including a tetrahedron which could be close-packed without waste space, and could not be knocked over accidentally (slogan: "No more crying over spilt milk"). However, the industry eventually settled on a design similar to that used in the United States.<ref name=wwwa>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080721052114/http://www.zerowastewa.com.au/documents/liquidpboard_fs.pdf Milk and Juice Cartons Fact Sheet], Waste Wise WA, zerowastewa.com.au. Retrieved June 21, 2009.</ref>

Milk is now available in a variety of sizes in paperboard [[milk carton]]s (250&nbsp;mL, 375&nbsp;mL, 600&nbsp;mL, 1 liter and 1.5 liters) and [[plastic bottle]]s (1, 2 and 3 liters). A significant addition to the marketplace has been "long-life" milk ([[Ultra-high-temperature processing|UHT]]), generally available in 1 and 2 liter rectangular cardboard cartons. In urban and suburban areas where there is sufficient demand, home delivery is still available, though in suburban areas this is often three times per week rather than daily. Another significant and popular addition to the marketplace has been flavored milks; for example, as mentioned above, [[Farmers Union Iced Coffee]] outsells [[Coca-Cola]] in [[South Australia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=AdelaideAZ |url=https://adelaideaz.com/articles/iced-coffee-a-south--australian-global--oddity-that-even--outsold-coca-cola- |access-date=January 4, 2021 |website=adelaideaz.com |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110235719/https://adelaideaz.com/articles/iced-coffee-a-south--australian-global--oddity-that-even--outsold-coca-cola- |url-status=live }}</ref>

====India====
[[File:Milk vender with typical traditional brass containers , Gagar ,used in Majha Region of Punjab 02.jpg|thumb|Vendors in [[Amritsar]], India transporting milk in [[gagar]], 2019]]

In rural [[India]], milk is home delivered, daily, by local milkmen carrying bulk quantities in a metal container, usually on a bicycle. In other parts of metropolitan [[India]], milk is usually bought or delivered in plastic bags or cartons via shops or supermarkets.

The current milk chain flow in India is from milk producer to milk collection agent. Then it is transported to a milk chilling center and bulk transported to the processing plant, then to the sales agent and finally to the consumer.

A 2011 survey by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India found that nearly 70% of samples had not conformed to the standards set for milk. The study found that due to lack of hygiene and sanitation in milk handling and packaging, detergents (used during cleaning operations) were not washed properly and found their way into the milk. About 8% of samples in the survey were found to have detergents, which are hazardous to health.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adulterated milk is what Indians are drinking |url=http://cseindia.org/content/adulterated-milk-what-indians-are-drinking |work=Centre for Science and Environment |access-date=June 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625083639/http://cseindia.org/content/adulterated-milk-what-indians-are-drinking |archive-date=June 25, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although India is the world's largest milk producer and a major exporter, the country's ever-increasing demand for dairy products could eventually make it a net importer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Milk quality in India |url=http://www.milkproduction.com/Library/Editorial-articles/Milk-quality-in-India/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630141724/http://www.milkproduction.com/Library/Editorial-articles/Milk-quality-in-India/ |archive-date=June 30, 2015 |access-date=June 3, 2015 |publisher=milkproduction.com}}</ref>

====Pakistan====
In [[Pakistan]], milk is supplied in jugs. Milk has been a staple food, especially among the pastoral tribes in this country.

====United Kingdom====

Since the late 1990s, milk-buying patterns have changed drastically in the UK. The classic [[milkman]], who travels his local [[Milk round (transport)|milk round]] (route) using a [[milk float]] (often battery powered) during the early hours and delivers milk in 1-[[pint]] glass bottles with [[aluminum foil]] tops directly to households, has almost disappeared. Two of the main reasons for the decline of UK home deliveries by milkmen are household refrigerators (which lessen the need for daily milk deliveries) and private car usage (which has increased supermarket shopping). Another factor is that it is cheaper to purchase milk from a supermarket than from home delivery. In 1996, more than 2.5 billion liters of milk were still being delivered by milkmen, but by 2006 only 637 million liters (13% of milk consumed) was delivered by some 9,500 milkmen.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4850336.stm |title=Milk's online top-up |work=BBC News |date=March 28, 2006 |access-date=August 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901025635/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4850336.stm |archive-date=September 1, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> By 2010, the estimated number of milkmen had dropped to 6,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Find me a Milkman{{nbsp}}– I want doorstep deliveries! |url=http://www.dairyuk.org/for-consumers-mainmenu-278/find-me-a-milkman-mainmenu-290 |publisher=Dairy UK |access-date=February 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031090238/http://www.dairyuk.org/for-consumers-mainmenu-278/find-me-a-milkman-mainmenu-290 |archive-date=October 31, 2010 }}</ref> Assuming that delivery per milkman is the same as it was in 2006, this means milkmen deliveries now only account for 6–7% of all milk consumed by UK households (6.7 billion liters in 2008/2009).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/products/roadmaps/milk.htm |title="Milk product roadmaps", The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |publisher=Defra.gov.uk |access-date=August 28, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405054121/http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/products/roadmaps/milk.htm |archive-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>

Almost 95% of all milk in the UK is thus sold in shops today, most of it in plastic bottles of various sizes, but some also in [[milk carton]]s. Milk is hardly ever sold in glass bottles in UK shops.

====United States====
In the United States, glass milk bottles have been replaced mostly with [[milk carton]]s and plastic jugs. Gallons of milk are almost always sold in jugs, while half gallons and quarts may be found in both paper cartons and plastic jugs, and smaller sizes are almost always in cartons.

The "half pint" ({{convert|{{Rnd|236.5882365}}|mL|imppt|disp=comma|frac=12|abbr=on}}) milk carton is the traditional unit as a component of school lunches, though some companies have replaced that unit size with a plastic bottle, which is also available at retail in 6- and 12-pack size.