Schneider Valley Farms Super Skim Non Fat Milk Review

Prior to my switchover to organic milk products a few years back, I used to  purchase   Schneider Valley Farms Super Skim Non Fat Milk  for cereal, pancakes, and for straight-from-the-glass fat free milk enjoyment.  I saw a half-gallon carton at the store the other day, and thought I’d bring it home for old time’s sake, and to review it as well.

I’d describe this product as a concentrated skim milk.  While it has no more calories than other fat free milk brands, Schneider Super Skim looks and tastes less “watery” than those other non fat products.  It more resembles whole milk in terms of thickness, opacity, and flavor.  While this milk is definitely not as thick as whole milk, or even 2% milk for that matter, Super Skim nonetheless, imitates these higher fat beverages quite well, and provides a great transitional step from whole milk to skim.  While I prefer regular organic skim milk to this product, this super skim milk nonetheless indeed fills a sorely lacking niche in the healthful dairy milk market.

 

Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features

  • The label says that this product is pasteurized, homogenized, and has vitamins A and D3.
  • At roughly $2.25 per half-gallon carton, this milk is priced similarly to other fat free milks in the stores I’ve visited, such as the Galliker brand.
  • Schneider Valley Farms is based in Williamsport, PA, which is less than a four hour drive from here.  So the milk does not travel far to get here, and that shows up in its fresh taste.
  • This is packaged in a carton; not a plastic bottle, and I believe that its taste therefore, is far less impacted by the leeching plastic compounds from the bottle, that often destroy the milk’s gently sweet yet mild flavor.
  • The carton also protects the milk from excessive exposure to light, which can affect its flavor as well as nutritional content.
  • This milk contains 80 calories per one-cup serving; significantly less  than whole milk, and it has virtually no fat or cholesterol.  This puts this Super Skim Milk right alongside other fat free milk products in terms of nutritional values.
  • The flavor hints of cream, a bit more so than other skim milk brands I’ve sampled.
  • The thickness and texture of this brand of fat free milk are greater than routine skim milk.
  • Schneider Valley Farms milk products are available at ood and bigger grocery stores like Walmart, Hometown Market, and Giant Eagle Market District here in PA.
  • Though there are dietary advantages to adding the DHA omega-3 fats to products, I’m glad that Stonyfield, like Great Value, offers an organic skim milk product without any more than the required vitamin additives.

 

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns

  • They add artifical colorings to this product, presumably to get it to look more like whole milk.
  • They also add natural milk flavornd extracted hydrated milkfat to achieve the more-like-whole-milk consistency of this skim milk.  This gives this product a unique taste that, while approximating that of whole milk, is still different.
  • The packing is quite retro in that you must pull apart flaps on the top to open, just like cartons from the 1970s and 1980s.  You’ll find no plastic pull-off seal, nor any screw-on cap here.  To close this carton, you just fold the flaps together.  But unlike today’s plastic caps, this method of closure will not prevent spills, should you accidently knock an open carten from the refrigerator while fetching it.
  • The product spoils quickly in my view, as the sell-by date on my carton was only a week out from the day I purchased it.  Non organic milk products like this one, do not keep nearly as long as their organic counterparts.

 

Ingredients

Skim milk, artificial color, carrageenan, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, natural milk flavor (extract of hydrated milkfat).

 

Nutrition Facts

  • Serving size: 1 cup, or 236 milliliters.  Servings per container: 8.
  • Calories: 80.  Calories from fat: 0.
  • Total fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
  • Saturated fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
  • Trans fat: 0 grams.
  • Cholesterol: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
  • Sodium: 115 milligrams, 5% DV.
  • Total carbohydrate: 11 grams, 4% DV.
  • Dietary fiber: 0 grams, 0% DV.
  • Sugars: 11 grams.
  • Protein: 8 grams.
  • Vitamin A: 10% DV.
  • Calcium: 30% DV.
  • Vitamin C: 4% DV.
  • Vitamin D: 25% DV.
  • Iron: 0% DV.

 

Product Rating

In conclusion, I think this fat free milk is an okay value, especially for those trying to make the switch from who and lowfat milks down to skim.  Hpwever, if you’re already used to skimmed milk, you may find no improvement in the flavor, in this product.  And, if you’re used to drinking organic skim milk, the taste here may seem funny to you.  So, as mentioned, this product indeed eases the pain of transitioning to a lower fat milk.  But I do not like the flavor enough to routinely buy it.  So, given all of that, I’d rate Schneider Super Skim Milk at 89 out of 100.

 

Where To Buy Schneider Valley Farms Super Skim Non Fat Milk

Take a carton home from your favorite larger local grocer in PA and surrounding states, including Walmart and Giant Eagle.  Look for it in the bright pink carton with the large white letters,  in the refrigerated dairy section.

 

References

 

Revision History

  • : Adjusted category and tag assignments, fixed typos, and added whitespace.
  • 2012-06-16: Originally published.