ALDI Farmdale was rated best in Canstar Blue’s long life milk ratings for the SECOND year in a row. The supermarket brand scored five stars across the board, including for taste, consistency, packaging convenience, value for money, and overall satisfaction.
Stocking up on long life milk in the fridge or pantry can be a lifesaver. Whether it’s for the family camping trip, ‘forgot to buy milk’ emergency, or a specific dietary requirement, the long life milk aisle at your local supermarket most probably has you covered. To find out which brands Aussies ‘cow’ about, we compared the top ones on the shelf.
Canstar Blue surveyed 525 Australians for their feedback on the long life milk they’ve purchased and consumed in the last three months.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their long life milk brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. ALDI Farmdale
2. Coles
3. Woolworths
4. Devondale
5. Dairy Farmers
ALDI Farmdale secured a win with five stars for taste, consistency, packaging convenience, value for money, and overall satisfaction. The remaining brands Coles, Woolworths, Devondale, and Dairy Farmers received a mixture of four and three stars.
Find more detailed information on our ratings methodology.
One of many homebrand ranges from ALDI, Farmdale offers a range of dairy products including thickened cream, sour cream, and flavoured and powdered milk. Its long life milk line offers full cream, light, lactose-free, almond, rice, and soy options which come in either 1L or 2L sized cartons. Here is a sample selection from ALDI’s long life milk range:
Prices for ALDI Farmdale long life milk start from $1.59 for a 1L carton and reach up to $3.09 for 2L.
UHT stands for ‘ultra-high temperature processing’ and is a method of food sterilisation. The milk is heated to higher than 135°C for a few seconds to kill off spores. After this, the milk is ‘flash’ cooled and homogenised to give it long shelf life. While it provides largely the same nutritional value as fresh milk does, UHT milk can fall short in certain areas, such as having less folate and B-vitamins. Nevertheless — it’s cheap, has a long shelf life, and is readily available in times of need, such as power outages.
UHT milk is also convenient for its variety, be it cow’s milk, soy, lactose-free, or otherwise. Our latest survey found that the majority of Aussies (77%) purchase long life milk for the convenience of its generous shelf life, followed by taste (11%) and dietary reasons (10%).
The difference between fresh milk and long life milk (or UHT milk) is the processing method. Pasteurised (fresh) milk is heated to 74°C for 15 seconds, while long life milk is heated at temperatures over 135°C for just two seconds.
Compared to fresh milk that undergoes regular pasteurisation, long life milk is treated using a higher temperature to remove more bacteria and heat-resistant enzymes. This is why long life milk has a longer shelf life and can usually be stored unopened for up to six months in a pantry.
Unopened cartons of long life milk can typically be stored in the pantry for up to six months but must be refrigerated once opened. Similar to fresh milk, long life milk needs to be consumed within seven days once opened.
Our survey found that one in five consumers (22%) buy whichever brand of long life milk is the cheapest, indicating there are other factors involved when it comes to choosing milk. For example, 34% of shoppers choose milk with the longest expiry date, while 7% choose milk with a particular nutritional value. There’s a lot that goes into choosing the right milk, so it’s important to do your research and buy a brand you’re happy with.
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Megan is Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor, leading the team that focuses on consumer products and services, ranging from supermarkets and groceries to home and personal appliances and retail stores. She interprets Canstar Blue’s bespoke research on the thousands of brands that we compare, rate and review, to help shoppers make better purchasing decisions.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Picture credits: Zadorozhna Natalia/ Shutterstock.com, / Sea Wave/ Shutterstock.com.
Here are the previous winners from Canstar Blue’s long life milk ratings:
Appliances - September 27th
We all love coffee and no matter how you take your coffee, if you take it with milk you’ll want it just the way you like. So why not create perfectly frothed milk at home? …
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Appliances - May 16th
Making yoghurt is easy and can provide a healthy treat. Check out Canstar Blue’s review and guide to yoghurt makers in Australia.
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Best-Rated Full Cream Fresh Milk - May 2nd
Do you know your soy milk from your flaxseed milk? Here is a guide to the different types of milk in your supermarket.
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Best-Rated Full Cream Fresh Milk - February 2nd
Rising living costs, supply chain disruptions, and ongoing supermarket ‘milk wars’ have seen the price of milk skyrocket. Hyperinflation and subsequent rising grocery costs are also putting pressure on household budgets like never before. To …
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Appliances - January 2nd
Everyone’s fridge is different, but when it comes to the shelf life of foods, there are some basics you need to know to make sure your fridge is healthy.
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