With so many choices available of milk, wondering what kind of milk is good for you and your family?

True, the different varieties of milk can sometimes be confusing and make you unsure about what is good for your health. India has a large number of breeds of cow and buffalo so there are also different types of milk based on breed, color, thickness, nutrients etc. Below are few of the different parameters on which milk is classified:

• Based on type of milk: A1 and A2 cow milk.

Nowadays, every dairy farm and milkman uses this term A1 milk and A2 milk. Have you wondered what it means and which is better and why? I’m sure these questions arise but you never know the answer. Here we will explain to you about this. A1 milk obtained from western origin cows like Jersey that's why A1 milk is most common and abundantly available everywhere and A2 milk obtained from Indian origin cows like Sahiwal, Sindhi, and vary in milk composition. The protein present in milk is called casein and is the deciding factor to differentiate between A1 and A2 milk. In A2 milk, casein has more concentration than A1 milk. This is the reason why A2 milk is easy to digest as compared to A1 milk.

• Based on fat percentage - full cream , toned, skimmed.

You are all very familiar with these words while purchasing the milk full cream, toned and skimmed. The major difference in these is fat concentration of milk. When we are talking about full cream it contains more than 3.2% which is higher as compared to the other two types of milk. Full cream is good for those who have low BMI or suffer from weight gain problems but it is not good for people who are suffering from diabetes, heart related problems. In toned milk, fat concentration is 1.5%. As in daily diet we consume fat from oil, butter, paneer do people prefer toned milk more. It is preferred to people who have problems with high calories. Talking about skim milk, it contains no fat and high protein. People suffering from diabetes or heart related problems skim milk as the best alternative in milk and also help in weight loss and prevent obesity.

• Based on packaging type - Polypacked, Tetra pack, Open milk.

While buying anything we look into type of packaging, expiry date, how long we can use that packet, hygiene of packaging. Polypack milk is most common and most of the brands sell their milk in polypack. Milk is pasteurized and free from harmful microorganisms and packed in poly which has expiry date of 2-3 days therefore you need to consume within 2-3 days. It needs cold storage to keep in normal temp otherwise it will spoil quickly. Tetra milk is quite costlier than polypack milk as it lasts for 1 year and can be kept at normal temperature. Milk is sterilized and package material is also different which is packed in a way to stop further growth of harmful microorganisms by which milk does not spoil easily. Tetra milk tastes slightly different from polypack milk as it is treated at very high temperature. Open milk is what you get when you visit a dairy farm or any person comes to deliver milk. It's purer when you see it being milked in front of you but when delivered to your home, one is not about what kind of adulteration is being done without any quality check.

• Based on animals - Cow (Desi - sahiwal etc. jersey), Buffalo, Goat, Camel, Donkey.

Animals which yield milk are called milch animals. All of us have come across this famous adage “ Drinking Milk makes bones stronger”. Cow and Buffalo milk is most common in every Indian household but apart from that nowadays Goat, Camel, Donkey milk is also becoming an alternative because these also have good nutrition. Camel milk contains Vitamin C 10 times more than compared to cow milk which simply implies that it has high immunity and contains very less fat as compared to cow milk.

Goat milk contains high protein (8gm) needed for children suffering from malnutrition for better weight gain. Donkey milk is not only used for drinking but also used by the cosmetic and pharma industry for skin problems. Donkey milk contains very little fat suitable for infants as well as people suffering from diabetes, heart or cholesterol problems. Also people who are allergic to cow milk donkey milk is the best alternative. Goat and Donkey milk is quite expensive as not available in nearby grocery stores.

• Based on Price: As of in Nov 2022,

Brand Name	Price per litre
Amul - Toned Milk	Rs 46
Ananda (Toned milk)	Rs 45
Pride of milk (Toned milk)	Rs 47
Nestle (A+ toned milk)	Rs 89
Mother dairy (Toned milk)	Rs 72
Country Delight (Toned milk)	Rs 88 to 92
FarmLokal (Bottled Buffalo milk)- Full cream	Rs 65
Parag Milk - Toned Milk	Rs 48
Warna - Toned Milk	​Rs 62
Milma Milk - Toned Milk	Rs 46
Aavin Milk - Toned Milk	Rs 40
Milky Mist - Toned Milk	Rs 67
SwadeshiVIP	Rs 120
Farmery	​Rs 84
Doormilk - Amul and Motherdairy packet milk	​Rs 63

• Based on Ethical and unethical milk

Yes, you read correct ethical and unethical milk. I know you all must wonder what's ethical and unethical in milk. So let me explain if in the dairy business farmers mistreat the animals or change their favorable natural environment for more production of milk by giving hormone injections or not taking care of their health. If the farmer is not following the correct safety measures with animals during the milking process then milk is called unethical milk. So in a dairy farm farmers should not think about only milk production and should also look for animal health. For better milking and to get the best breed sometimes farmers do forced breeding which adversely affects the cattle health and also affects their genetic line. On cows after giving birth the calf has first right on milk rather than milking if the farmer is not giving priority to the calf that is the most unethical milk. We Farmlokal are regularly in touch with the dairy farms to ensure no unethical misking is done.