When I have the time, I make a conscious effort to shop at my local farmer’s market for dairy. When I have time being the operative phrase there. But I’ve recently discovered it may be even easier support local dairy farms without spending more money or driving across town.
You know that code next to your milk’s expiration date? Turns out it can tell you exactly which dairy farm produced your milk, cheese, half-and-half, and my personal favorite, heavy cream.
Liz shared a super helpful photo from PBS, which lists the two-digit state codes to help you trace which state your dairy comes from.
But to get more specific, visit the website Where is My Milk From, which lets you enter a code from your packaging, to track down the exact source of your dairy, including the farm’s name and location.
Related: What to look for on dairy, egg, and meat labels: A cheater’s guide.
Here’s my local supermarket milk, for example. The site makes it so easy to type in the code on your milk carton or bottle — even telling you (nicely) if you’re looking in the wrong place.
Using the site, I’m happy to see that milk comes straight from a dairy farm in Nashville. And it does make me feel a little better knowing it’s coming from a reliable local dairy farmer, it didn’t travel across the country, and it didn’t leave a Sasquatch-sized carbon footprint behind.
What a cool thing to do with kids, to help them understand that no, “food does not come from a supermarket.”
Plus, if we’re ever in the mood to tour (i.e. eat all the ice cream samples from) the dairy farm that produces my milk, now I know right where to find them.
Visit Where is My Milk From to easily plug in the code on your milk and be sure you’re supporting local dairy farmers. The site is run by an independent third-party, using info published by the Interstate Milk Shippers list, the FDA, and other regulatory agencies.
Top image: Alberto Bogo via Unsplash
