Understanding Milk Labels: Beyond the Expiration Date

If your family is anything like mine, you go through milk so quickly that you hardly ever check the expiration date.

Well, did you know that right here in Montana, next to the expiration date, there’s another secret code that reveals way more than those four digits let on?

Nick Northern
Nick Northern
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The Hidden Code On Your Milk Carton

Take a look at the photo up above, where you'll see that "best by" date stamped on there, but right next to that you'll see another set of numbers that at first glance might seem like gibberish.

Turns out those 4 digits reveals where your milk is sourced, and lately, people have been very interested in where our food is coming from.

Thanks to the website aptly named "Where is My Milk From?," you can find if your milk is local, even letting you know what dairy farm it came from.

Saving Money By Knowing Your Milk Source

In the photo I provided earlier I was able to find out my milk came from Meadow Gold Dairy, which has a processing plant here in Great Falls, even though I bought the Great Value brand from Walmart.

It’s interesting to discover that the generic brand, priced at just $3.46 for a gallon of 2% milk, is actually the same milk found in the Meadow Gold container, which costs $4.67.

So not only is it cool to see where your milk is coming from, but knowing that information could also save you some money.

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