Milk bottle top
A milk bottle top is a lid to a milk bottle. They are usually colour-coded to show the consumer the different varieties of milk, especially the flavour or fat content. This colour-coding tends to vary between, but is usually consistent within, countries.
Countries
Australia
(these are all screw top plastic lids)
* Blue top - Regular milk
* Purple top - Reduced Fat milk
* Light blue top - Low Fat milk
* Pink top - Skim milk
* Gold Top - Unhomogenized
* Green Top - Light milk
(flavoured milks)
* Pink - strawberry
* Light Brown - coffee
* Dark Brown - chocolate
Brazil
These are used almost only for premium pasteurized milk. UHT packaging colours varies by brand.
* Blue top - Regular (whole) milk
* Red top - Semi-skimmed milk
* Yellow top - Skim milk
Canada
Labelling colours vary from dairy bottlers (are mostly screw top plastic lids):
*Blue top - Skim milk or 2% milk
*Purple top - 1% milk
*Pink top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Red top - 3.8% or homogenized milk
*White - chocolate milk
*Yellow top- skim milk
Older bottles used paper pull caps with colour coded text.
People's Republic of China
*Blue top - Whole Milk
*Red - Reduced Fat
*Dark Green - Low Fat
*Light Green - Skim
Republic of China
*Dark Green top - Whole Milk
*Red top - Reduced Fat
*Yellow top - Skim Milk
Hong Kong
* Silver top - 3.5g fat and 110mg Calcium
* Green top - hi-calcium with 2.0g fat and 165mg of Calcium
* Gold top - slim milk with 2g fat and 160mg calcium or milk full cream with milk re-added
Denmark
* Grey - Skim milk
* Light blue - 1.5% milk
* Dark blue - Whole milk
* Very light blue - Mini milk (fairly new to the market 0.5% butterfat)
* Green - Buttermilk
* Red - Double cream (38%)
* Butterscotch - Half and Half
* Purple - Single cream (18% with starch, for cooking)
* Brown - Chocolate milk (made with skim milk and cocoa)
Finland
* Red - whole milk (3.5% fat)
* Dark blue - normal milk (1.5% fat)
* Blue - light milk (1% fat)
* Light blue - fat free milk
France
*Red top - full fat
*Blue top - half fat milk
*Green top - Skim milk
Germany
*Lavender top - Skim milk
*Light blue top - 1% milk
*Dark Blue top - 2%
*Green top - Whole Milk
*Light Green top -Buttermilk
*Brown top - Chocolate Milk
India
Milk bags
*Red Packet - 6% Full cream milk
*Green Packet - 4.5% Standardized milk
*Blue Packet - 3% Toned milk
*Magenta Packet - 1.5% Double toned milk
Israel
*Red top - Kefir
*Blue top - Whole milk
*Light blue top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Light green - Skim milk
Milk bags
*Red spout - Whole milk
*Green Spout- 2% milk
*Blue spout - Skim milk
South Korea
*Green top - Skim milk by Mai-il
*Sky-blue top - Skim milk
*Brown top - Whole milk by Mai-il
*Generally, the details are shown in letters
Republic of Ireland
*Blue top - whole milk
*Red top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Pink top - Skim Milk
*White top -
Mexico
*Yellow top - Whole Milk
*Green top - 2% milk
*Blue top - 1% milk
*Red top - Skim milk
Norway
*Red top - Whole milk (3,9%)
*Dark pink top - 1,2-1,5% milk
*Green top - 0,5-0,7% milk
*Light pink top - Skim milk (0,1%)
New Zealand
*Red top - Fresh cream
* Silver top - Full cream milk - non-homogenised
*Dark blue top - Whole milk
*Light blue top - Lite - semi skimmed - 1.5% fat
*Dark green top - Trim - fully skimmed
*Light green top - Super Trim - super skimmed
*Yellow top - Trim - fortified with calcium and vitamin D
*Orange top - Mega - fortified with calcium and protein
*Brown top - Chocolate Milk
* Pink top - Strawberry Milk
* Yellow top - Banana Milk
* Green top - Lime Milk
Poland
Red colour usually marks the milk with the highest percentage of fat. Green is reserved mostly for low-fat milk, while yellow and blue are used interchangeably for 1,5-2,0% milk.
*Red top - 3,2% milk (also 3,5%, and sometimes 2,0%)
*Blue top - 1,5-2% milk (also 0,0%)
*Yellow top - 2,0% milk
*Green top - 0,5% milk
Russia
*Green top - Whole Milk
*Blue top - Half Milk
*Red top - Reduced Milk
*Pink top - Low fat
*Yellow top - Skim Milk
United Kingdom
Plastic bottles
* Blue top - Whole Milk (3.6% fat content)
* Green top - Semi-Skimmed Milk (1.7% fat content)
* Orange top - (1% fat content) (Except Morrisons and Waitrose)
* Red top - Skimmed Milk (0.1% fat content)
* Gold top - Channel island milk (5.2-5.4% fat content)
Less Common
* Purple top - Morrisons own brand, 'The One' brand
* Purple top - Waitrose (1% fat content)
* Purple top - Tesco own brand, Creamfields
* Purple top - WISEMAN DARIES 'the One' (1% fat content)
Glass bottles
* Gold foil - milk from Channel Island (Jersey/Guernsey) breeds (about 5.2% fat)
* Silver foil - whole milk (about 4% fat - minimum 3.5%)
* Red foil - Homogenised whole milk
* Red and silver striped foil - semi-skimmed milk (less than 2% fat)
* Blue and silver striped foil - skimmed milk (0.1 to 0.3% fat)
* Green foil - milk, giving rise to the name "green-top milk"
* Gold striped foil on a green background - unpasteurized milk from Channel Island breeds
* Pink foil - Organic skimmed milk
* Blue foil - Organic whole milk
* Green foil - Organic semi-skimmed milk
Note: Blue Peter often had annual charity campaigns where children would collect aluminium bottle-tops to raise money.
United States
* Red tops - whole milk
* Pink/Light blue tops - skimmed milk and 1% fat content
* Blue tops - milk with 2% fat content
* Green tops - milk with 1% fat content
* Brown tops - chocolate milk
* Green tops - buttermilk
* White tops - Unhomogenized milk
* Black tops - Unpasteurized milk
* Yellow tops - depending on the dairy these may be low fat(1%)
Seasonal Speciality
* Strawberry Milk - Mauve - Available year round - colored top
* Pumpkin Spice milk - Yellow-orange top - available from Late September until about November 15
* Egg Nog - Red Top - Available around Christmas
* Light Egg Nog - Green top - Available a little past New Year, due to its lesser popularity
* Soy Milk - White Top - Usually in cartons, in a separate section or store
Benefits
The colour-coding of milk bottle tops helps consumers quickly to choose the product they want without having to look at labels. It also encourages consistency between regions.
Countries
Australia
(these are all screw top plastic lids)
* Blue top - Regular milk
* Purple top - Reduced Fat milk
* Light blue top - Low Fat milk
* Pink top - Skim milk
* Gold Top - Unhomogenized
* Green Top - Light milk
(flavoured milks)
* Pink - strawberry
* Light Brown - coffee
* Dark Brown - chocolate
Brazil
These are used almost only for premium pasteurized milk. UHT packaging colours varies by brand.
* Blue top - Regular (whole) milk
* Red top - Semi-skimmed milk
* Yellow top - Skim milk
Canada
Labelling colours vary from dairy bottlers (are mostly screw top plastic lids):
*Blue top - Skim milk or 2% milk
*Purple top - 1% milk
*Pink top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Red top - 3.8% or homogenized milk
*White - chocolate milk
*Yellow top- skim milk
Older bottles used paper pull caps with colour coded text.
People's Republic of China
*Blue top - Whole Milk
*Red - Reduced Fat
*Dark Green - Low Fat
*Light Green - Skim
Republic of China
*Dark Green top - Whole Milk
*Red top - Reduced Fat
*Yellow top - Skim Milk
Hong Kong
* Silver top - 3.5g fat and 110mg Calcium
* Green top - hi-calcium with 2.0g fat and 165mg of Calcium
* Gold top - slim milk with 2g fat and 160mg calcium or milk full cream with milk re-added
Denmark
* Grey - Skim milk
* Light blue - 1.5% milk
* Dark blue - Whole milk
* Very light blue - Mini milk (fairly new to the market 0.5% butterfat)
* Green - Buttermilk
* Red - Double cream (38%)
* Butterscotch - Half and Half
* Purple - Single cream (18% with starch, for cooking)
* Brown - Chocolate milk (made with skim milk and cocoa)
Finland
* Red - whole milk (3.5% fat)
* Dark blue - normal milk (1.5% fat)
* Blue - light milk (1% fat)
* Light blue - fat free milk
France
*Red top - full fat
*Blue top - half fat milk
*Green top - Skim milk
Germany
*Lavender top - Skim milk
*Light blue top - 1% milk
*Dark Blue top - 2%
*Green top - Whole Milk
*Light Green top -Buttermilk
*Brown top - Chocolate Milk
India
Milk bags
*Red Packet - 6% Full cream milk
*Green Packet - 4.5% Standardized milk
*Blue Packet - 3% Toned milk
*Magenta Packet - 1.5% Double toned milk
Israel
*Red top - Kefir
*Blue top - Whole milk
*Light blue top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Light green - Skim milk
Milk bags
*Red spout - Whole milk
*Green Spout- 2% milk
*Blue spout - Skim milk
South Korea
*Green top - Skim milk by Mai-il
*Sky-blue top - Skim milk
*Brown top - Whole milk by Mai-il
*Generally, the details are shown in letters
Republic of Ireland
*Blue top - whole milk
*Red top - 2% milk
*Green top - 1% milk
*Pink top - Skim Milk
*White top -
Mexico
*Yellow top - Whole Milk
*Green top - 2% milk
*Blue top - 1% milk
*Red top - Skim milk
Norway
*Red top - Whole milk (3,9%)
*Dark pink top - 1,2-1,5% milk
*Green top - 0,5-0,7% milk
*Light pink top - Skim milk (0,1%)
New Zealand
*Red top - Fresh cream
* Silver top - Full cream milk - non-homogenised
*Dark blue top - Whole milk
*Light blue top - Lite - semi skimmed - 1.5% fat
*Dark green top - Trim - fully skimmed
*Light green top - Super Trim - super skimmed
*Yellow top - Trim - fortified with calcium and vitamin D
*Orange top - Mega - fortified with calcium and protein
*Brown top - Chocolate Milk
* Pink top - Strawberry Milk
* Yellow top - Banana Milk
* Green top - Lime Milk
Poland
Red colour usually marks the milk with the highest percentage of fat. Green is reserved mostly for low-fat milk, while yellow and blue are used interchangeably for 1,5-2,0% milk.
*Red top - 3,2% milk (also 3,5%, and sometimes 2,0%)
*Blue top - 1,5-2% milk (also 0,0%)
*Yellow top - 2,0% milk
*Green top - 0,5% milk
Russia
*Green top - Whole Milk
*Blue top - Half Milk
*Red top - Reduced Milk
*Pink top - Low fat
*Yellow top - Skim Milk
United Kingdom
Plastic bottles
* Blue top - Whole Milk (3.6% fat content)
* Green top - Semi-Skimmed Milk (1.7% fat content)
* Orange top - (1% fat content) (Except Morrisons and Waitrose)
* Red top - Skimmed Milk (0.1% fat content)
* Gold top - Channel island milk (5.2-5.4% fat content)
Less Common
* Purple top - Morrisons own brand, 'The One' brand
* Purple top - Waitrose (1% fat content)
* Purple top - Tesco own brand, Creamfields
* Purple top - WISEMAN DARIES 'the One' (1% fat content)
Glass bottles
* Gold foil - milk from Channel Island (Jersey/Guernsey) breeds (about 5.2% fat)
* Silver foil - whole milk (about 4% fat - minimum 3.5%)
* Red foil - Homogenised whole milk
* Red and silver striped foil - semi-skimmed milk (less than 2% fat)
* Blue and silver striped foil - skimmed milk (0.1 to 0.3% fat)
* Green foil - milk, giving rise to the name "green-top milk"
* Gold striped foil on a green background - unpasteurized milk from Channel Island breeds
* Pink foil - Organic skimmed milk
* Blue foil - Organic whole milk
* Green foil - Organic semi-skimmed milk
Note: Blue Peter often had annual charity campaigns where children would collect aluminium bottle-tops to raise money.
United States
* Red tops - whole milk
* Pink/Light blue tops - skimmed milk and 1% fat content
* Blue tops - milk with 2% fat content
* Green tops - milk with 1% fat content
* Brown tops - chocolate milk
* Green tops - buttermilk
* White tops - Unhomogenized milk
* Black tops - Unpasteurized milk
* Yellow tops - depending on the dairy these may be low fat(1%)
Seasonal Speciality
* Strawberry Milk - Mauve - Available year round - colored top
* Pumpkin Spice milk - Yellow-orange top - available from Late September until about November 15
* Egg Nog - Red Top - Available around Christmas
* Light Egg Nog - Green top - Available a little past New Year, due to its lesser popularity
* Soy Milk - White Top - Usually in cartons, in a separate section or store
Benefits
The colour-coding of milk bottle tops helps consumers quickly to choose the product they want without having to look at labels. It also encourages consistency between regions.
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