Galliker’s Strawberry Fat Free Milk Review

Like a thin strawberry ice cream shake, one that’s been out in the heat a little too long, this Galliker’s Strawberry Fat Free Milk certainly has the essence of strawberry, and though it’s a bit thin for my taste, it’s still rather nice tasting. However, except for the milk itself, the strawberry flavoring here is all artificial, and this product lacks the creamy, slippery texture that low-fat strawberry dairy milk products exhibit. I’d drink this in a pinch, but probably would not choose it again if the store was selling a low-fat version alongside it.

From the bottle, this skimmed milk beverage contains 150 calories per 1-cup serving, nearly twice that of white skim milk. Vitamins A and D3 have been added to intensify the nutrition, and they’ve eliminated all fat content; thus the “fat-free” in the description.

However, as with most flavored dairy drinks, you’ll encounter lots of extra sugar here, in the form of high fructose corn syrup. So, I’d go easy this beverage when watching weight, as the sugar can make this drink notably addictive in my view.

While this milk is a welcome diversion from the plant-based beverages (almond, soy, and rice) that I’ve routinely consumed over the past decade or so, I’m not too crazy about it.

Pros, Advantages, Benefits, and Features

At approximately $1.80 per 16-ounce bottle at my local convenience store, this milk is competitively priced.
Caffeine free and gluten-free.
No saturated fat and less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol.
The sell-by date is about two weeks out from the purchase date, and this milk will keep another week or two beyond that if it was handled properly prior to reaching you, and you keep it refrigerated.
It is made with dairy milk and is grade A, homogenized, and pasteurized. It displays the “Real” dairy symbol.
Though a vivid pink color, this strawberry milk has no real strawberry juice.
Easy to find here in central PA.
The packaging is largely opaque, and so, protects the milk inside from being degraded by light. However, the Nesquik strawberry milk product is more light-stopping than is this drink.
Galliker’s brand of fat-free strawberry flavored milk is less addictive than the Nesquik (reviewed here), probably owing to the lower sugar content. But this product does not taste as good as the other either.

Disadvantages, Concerns, Problems, and Cons

Constant refrigeration is required, which makes it a bit less convenient than the almond, soy, and rice drinks. These need not be refrigerated typically, until you open them for the first time.
Both the look (color) and flavor here are artificial. Except for the milk itself, there’s little natural about this dairy product.
The sugar herein is potent, at 28 grams per serving, though it’s ten grams less than what I found in the Nesquik strawberry. So diabetics, drink this with caution, and at your own risk.
It definitely tastes less sweet. I cite this as a negative because while I prefer products with less actual sugar, as this one seems to have, I still like them to taste strongly sweet. Perhaps they could get the desired sweeter effect by applying some sucralose or stevia zero calorie sweeteners.
No fiber. With tasteless fiber available these days, they might put a bit of that in here to help people get that critical dietary compound.

Ingredients

Nonfat milk, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, carrageenan, guar gum, salt, citric acid, F. D. & C red #40, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 cup, or 240 milliliters. Servings per container: 2.
Calories: 150. Calories from fat: 0.
Total fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
Saturated fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
Trans fat: 0 grams.
Cholesterol: less than 5 milligrams, 1% DV.
Sodium: 140 milligrams, 6% DV.
Potassium: 390 milligrams, 11% DV.
Total carbohydrate: 30 grams, 10% DV.
Dietary fiber: 0 grams, 0% DV.
Sugars: 28 grams.
Protein: 8 grams.
Vitamin A: 10% DV.
Calcium: 30% DV.
Vitamin C: 4% DV.
Vitamin D: 25% DV.
Iron: 0% DV.

Product Rating

This non-fat strawberry milk is not too bad. That is, it definitely tastes like it’s high fat though it’s not. A big turn-off I found was the fact that the flavorings are completely artificial. So I’d rate this Nesquik drink at 90 out of 100.

Where To Buy Galliker’s Strawberry Fat Free Milk

Look for this product in the bright pink bottle with the swirls and the red letters near the top, and the white cap, in the refrigerated dairy section, at your favorite large or small grocers and convenience stores here in central Pennsylvania.

References

Revision History

2015-03-02: Adjusted category and tag assignments, fixed typos, and added white space.
2012-07-28: Originally published.