There are six official dairy breeds in the United States.  Our milk comes from a blend of all of these cows.

The Holstein is the most common breed of dairy cow in North America. They have large black and white markings which usually cover about 50% of their bodies. Actual coverage may range from all to none (all white or all black cows).

Jerseys originated in France. They don't need much pasture, but they still give a good amount of milk (not as much as a Holstein, but their milk has more cream). Jerseys are brown cow dark, gentle eyes.

Guernseys are medium to big cows. They could be brown/white or red/white. High fat and protein content along with a high concentration of beta carotenes gives the Guernsey's milk a "golden" color.

Brown Swiss range from light to dark brown with a lighter underside. They have a banded muzzle like a Jersey, but are bigger in size. The Brown Swiss cow is a good milking cow, second only to Holsteins in milk production. They have the highest butterfat content of all dairy breeds.

Milking Shorthorns originated in Northeastern England and were brought to the United States in 1783.  They are red, white, or red/white in color.  The Milking Shorthorns thrive on pasture and forage.  They can be efficiently used for beef production as well as milk.

Ayrshires originated in Scotland and were brought to the United States in 1822.  They are light or dark cherry red, mahogany, brown, or brown/white.  Ayrshires are favored both for their pleasant disposition and their ability to thrive in all climates and management practices.

Have you ever baked cookies at home? If so, how do you add nuts and chocolate chips?

We do it the same way, only on a larger scale. When the ice cream-making process begins, the product looks like a Dairy Queen cone. Large machines are then used to mix in nuts, fruits and candies. We have other machines which can add peanut butter, marshmallow, chocolate, caramel and other sauces in fancy swirls and patterns. When we're done, the ice cream looks like you find it in the package.

• Milk (sometimes called whole milk) - 3.25% butterfat
• Reduced Fat Milk - 2.0% butterfat
• Lowfat Milk - 1.0% butterfat
• Skim Milk - less than 0.2% butterfat

Added value foods, that is, foods that do more than just feed us, have become an important part of most diets.  One such type of food is called probiotics.  Probiotic is a Greek word, which means "for life". It is used to describe the "friendly" bacteria that normally live in our intestinal tract and contribute to good health. Two of these bacteria are lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum.  Just what do these friendly bacteria do for us?

Acidophilus and bifidobacteria maintain a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria by producing lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid, which increase the acidity of the intestine and help prevent the reproduction of many harmful bacteria. Probiotic bacteria also produce substances which act as natural antibiotics to kill undesirable microorganisms. A regular intake of probiotic bacteria can also help prevent vaginal yeast infection.

Probiotics are important in building up the friendly bacteria in the intestine during and after antibiotic use. Remember, antibiotics kill the good, as well as the bad, bacteria.  Probiotic bacteria also secrete enzymes, which promote healthy digestion. Acidophilus is a source of lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk, which is lacking in lactose-intolerant individuals.

Galliker Dairy has developed Acidophilus Plus milk for those who want to gain the benefits associated with probiotics.  We take our 2% Reduced Fat Milk, fortify it with lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum bacteria, and offer it as a supplement to your daily diet. Nonetheless, Acidophilus Plus isn’t designed to replace medical care.  If you are experiencing severe intestinal problems, be sure to see your doctor.

All of Galliker’s iced tea products have their origin based in tealeaves.  Because our tea starts with a living plant, the caffeine levels can vary based on climate and growing conditions.

Listed below are the caffeine levels for our tea products, per 8 oz. serving:

Original Lemon ~ 28 mg - 39 mg

Peach ~ 15 mg - 17 mg

Raspberry ~ 15 mg - 18 mg

Lime ~ 15 mg - 18 mg

Southern Style Sweet ~ 28 mg - 40 mg

Green Tea w/ Honey & Ginseng ~ Less than 1 mg

White Tea w/ Blueberry ~ .75 mg - 1.50 mg

Diet Lemon ~ 28 mg - 39 mg

Diet Peach ~ 16 mg - 20 mg

Diet Green Tea w/ Honey & Ginseng ~ 9 mg - 15 mg

Diet Decaf ~ .91 mg - 1.12 mg

The color of food is an important part of our culture and enjoyment of life. Even the early Romans realized that people thought food tasted better if it had eye appeal. They used saffron and other spices to provide a rich yellow color to many of the foods they prepared. Even butter has been colored yellow, dating back to the 1300s.

What is a food color? Technically, a food coloring is any dye, pigment or substance that can impart color when added to a food. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for regulating all color additives used in the United States. These colors, permitted for use in foods, are classified as "certifiable" or "exempt from certification."

Certifiable colors are man-made, with each batch being tested by the manufacturer and FDA. This approval process, known as color certification, assures the safety, quality, consistency and strength of the color prior to its use. There are six certified food colors (two yellows, two blues, one red and one green) approved for use in the United States. One example is F. D. & C. Yellow No. 6, which is used in dairy products, cereals, bakery goods, snack foods and other foods. (The F. D. & C. comes from the legislation that governs certification, i.e., the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.)

Color additives that are exempt from certification include pigments derived from natural sources such as vegetables and animals. For example, caramel color is produced by heating sugar and other carbohydrates under controlled conditions to produce a brown liquid. This color is used to improve the appearance of sauces, gravies, soft drinks, baked goods and other foods.

Whether a color is certified or exempt from certification has no bearing on its safety. Both types of colorings are subject to rigorous standards of safety prior to their approval for use in foods.

Certified colors are widely used because their coloring ability is more intense than most colors derived from natural products. Additionally, certified colors are more stable, provide better color uniformity and blend together easily to provide a wide range of hues. Certified colors generally do not impart undesirable flavors to foods, while colors derived from foods such as beets and cranberries can produce such unintended off-flavors.

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the predominant sugar of milk. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is normally produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Lactase breaks down milk sugar into simpler forms that can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. When there is not enough lactase to digest the amount of lactose consumed, the results, although not usually dangerous, may be very distressing. While not all persons deficient in lactase have symptoms, those who do are considered to be lactose intolerant.

Common symptoms include nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea, which begin about 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose. The severity of symptoms varies depending on the amount of lactose each individual can tolerate.

Fortunately, lactose intolerance is relatively easy to treat. No treatment can improve the body's ability to produce lactase, but symptoms can be controlled through diet.

Young children with lactase deficiency should not eat any foods containing lactose. Most older children and adults need not avoid lactose completely, but people differ in the amounts and types of foods they can handle. For example, one person may have symptoms after drinking a small glass of milk, while another can drink one glass but not two. Others may be able to manage ice cream and aged cheeses, such as Cheddar and Swiss, but not other dairy products. Dietary control of lactose intolerance depends on people learning through trial and error how much lactose they can handle.

For those who react to very small amounts of lactose or have trouble limiting their intake of foods that contain it, lactase enzymes are available without a prescription to help people digest foods that contain lactose. The tablets are taken with the first bite of dairy food. The Lactase enzyme is also available as a liquid. Adding a few drops of the enzyme will convert the lactose in milk or cream, making it more digestible for people with lactose intolerance.

Lactose-reduced milk and other products are available at most supermarkets. The milk contains all of the nutrients found in regular milk and remains fresh for about the same length of time, or longer if it is super-pasteurized.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to identify foods that contain relatively large amounts of trans fatty acids: margarines (the more solid the margarine, the more the trans fatty acids; stick margarines contain the most, tub margarines contain less, and semi-liquid margarines contain the least;) high-fat baked goods (especially doughnuts, cookies and cakes;) and any product for which the label says "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils" (which, it sadly appears, includes virtually all processed foods.)

Also, because much of the public now recognizes the term "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils" to be bad, manufacturers have recently taken to the term "vegetable shortening" when they mean trans fatty acids. Either of these terms on a food product label means the bad stuff is present.

A food allergy is an adverse reaction to a food or food component that involves the body's immune system. There are some adverse reactions to foods that involve the body's metabolism but not the immune system. These reactions are known as food intolerance. Examples of food intolerance are food poisoning or the inability to properly digest certain food components such as lactose, or milk sugar (called lactose intolerance).

A true allergic reaction to a food involves three primary components: 1) Contact with food allergens (proteins found in certain foods) 2) Immunoglobulin E (IgE - an antibody in the immune system that reacts with allergens) 3) Tissue cells and blood cells, which when connected to IgE antibodies release histamine or other substances causing allergic symptoms.

The body's immune system recognizes an allergen in a food as foreign and produces antibodies to halt the "invasion." As the battle rages, symptoms appear throughout the body. The most common reaction sites are the mouth (swelling of the lips), digestive tract (stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea), skin (hives, rashes or eczema) and the airways (wheezing or breathing problems).

Allergic reactions to food are rare and can be caused by any food. The most common food allergens (The Big Eight) are fish, crustacea, milk, egg, soy, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts such as walnuts. Symptoms of a food allergy are highly individual and usually begin within minutes to a few hours after eating the offending food. People with true, confirmed food allergies must avoid the offending food altogether.

There are numerous misconceptions regarding allergy to food additives, preservatives and ingredients. Although some additives and preservatives have been shown to trigger asthma or hives in certain people, these reactions are not the same as those reactions observed with food. These reactions do not involve the immune system and therefore are examples of food intolerance or idiosyncrasy rather than food allergy. Most Americans consume a wide variety of food additives and ingredients daily, with only a very small number having been associated with adverse reactions.