What the SunMilk?
Posted by Cap in Woops, Bought Crap |Feeling the need for some Crunch Berries, I opened up my fridge and found something weird.
Uhh.. SunMilk?
Oh no, my mom bought more wannabe milk.
That’s what I thought at first, till I looked closer.
SunMilk is fat free milk with sunflower oil. It has the taste of either 1% or 2% reduced fat milk, with claims of better health benefit than fat-free milk. SunMilk is made by replacing saturated fat found in milk with sunflower oil, which contains monounsaturated fat.
Health claim aside, I’m happy to report that it does taste like 2% milk—maybe even better.
No, I’m not being paid to say this. True story. (Taste is a subjective thing anyway).
It has a few quirks though. One of which is the requirement to shake well before serving, resulting in the milk being uh… a little bit bubbly. Another thing is the unusually long expiration date. The SunMilk was purchased around Jan. 18 2006 and it has an expiration date of March 26, 2006. Interesting.
According to its website, SunMilk is currently only available in Southern California and Las Vegas. Because I didn’t buy it myself, I’m a bit curious on the price… I have a feeling it cost more than regular milk.
So. Is this another gimmicky product from the ever evolving “healthy food” market segment? Or are its claims the real deal?
Even if they are, does it really matter?
I think I’ll try to just keep things simple. Milk is milk. There’s already plenty of decisions to make in life; for the most of us, choosing what type of milk to buy shouldn’t have to be one of them.
“Healthy food” be damn. Eat right and exercise. Case close.
P.S. Found out the price. They’re about $3.50 per carton of half gallon.
Update 5/28/2009: To all SunMilk lovers, unfortunately it looks like SunMilk has been discontinued. It appears the company has went under due to mismanagement, and the recent economic woes was probably the nail to the coffin. If you know more about this, feel free to give everyone else an update via the comment section. Thanks!
33 Comments to “What the SunMilk?”
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January 25th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
crunchberries. yum. (When we’re not eating right and excercising that is) Sounds gimmicky, I think the type of fat in milk is one of the least of the issues with milk.
January 26th, 2006 at 11:18 am
yeah thats what I was thinking too. although I almost got bought with the marketing. I’m sure it really has no saturated fat and all that, but eh, like 2% reduced fat is so bad.
almost went to buy more though.. cuz I found a stack of coupons for it! whew.
January 27th, 2006 at 8:15 am
Your fridge is very clean…and empty. :)
January 28th, 2006 at 6:20 am
just the top shelf :P
January 30th, 2006 at 12:04 am
crunchberries – see you just can’t get quality food like that in Japan!
July 29th, 2006 at 2:23 am
My gf and I LOVE sunmilk. We get the 1% kind and mix it like two to one with nonfat, it still tastes better than normal 1% milk and it’s better for you in pretty much every way. Also helps to offset the cost.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
i heart Sunmilk. ive been googling the hell out of it though, trying to find out whether the milk they use is organic or not…
March 21st, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Umm for the person who wrote you can’t get crunchberries in Japan, you are most certainly WRONG!!!! You just need to go to a commissary, make nice with a GI, we can help you out, we also get good old fashioned Pepsi, although I would kill for some Quoi!!! Can’t get that state side.. I miss Japan
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:53 am
One person commented about the unusually long expiration date. I’ve emailed SunMilk to ask them directly. My best guesses are
1. The removal of milk fat with shelf stable sunflower oil.
2. Lining of the carton absorbs decay gases from the milk.
It could be a combination of the 2. Just today I smell a carton of SunMilk that smelled a bit sour, but when I drank and smelled the milk in the glass it was still quite fresh tasting.
Also the new cartons boast that the milk is not from cows with HGH. This milk is well worth the extra money in my opinion.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
My wife and I drink SunMilk everyday because it tastes better than regular milk and it is endorsed by the American Heart Association. Why drink saturated fat milk when you can drink “unsaturated fat milk”. It seems that those that get it, get it.
Anyway, we love it and will never drink anything else again.
June 5th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
Caitlin said:
>>”I think the type of fat in milk is one of the least of the issues with milk.”
Maybe for her it’s not an issue, but for people concerned about their cardiovascular health it should be an issue! Current research suggests that saturated fats (like the kind that’s in regular milk) are really unhealthy for everybody except maybe infants.
Saturated fat ==> bad
Unsaturated fat ==> good.
Iva said:
>>”One person commented about the unusually long expiration date. … My best guesses are
1. The removal of milk fat with shelf stable sunflower oil.
2. Lining of the carton absorbs decay gases from the milk.”
Those are very interesting guesses! However, the actual reason for the long shelf life is that the milk is “ultra-pasteurized”, or “UHT” treated: It’s heated to a higher temperature, but for less time than in standard pasteurization. The high heat kills all the bacteria in the milk. And without bacteria, things like milk don’t rot. That’s the same principle that enables canned food to be stored unrefrigerated. In fact, you can keep some UHT milk (like “Parmalat”) right in the cupboard, just like a can of beans!
However, once you open the carton, you let bacteria into the milk and starts to spoil just like regular milk. And if you drink directly from the milk carton, you put zillions of bacteria into the milk, and that milk will sour very very quickly.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Sunmilk 2% Rules! Regular milk tastes like crap to me now, as does the 1% Sunmilk. It’s better than half & half in coffee or tea, makes better hot chocolate than regular milk and tastes better in cereal. Plus it has no cholesterol. Gee, what should I drink – regular milk full of cholestorol that will take years off my life or something that tastes better and has no cholesterol? No brainer, people. I just wish more people would catch on so I don’t have to search all over for a store that carries the blue carton.
March 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
This is the BEST milk EVER! but it’s getting extremely difficult to find in my southern California neighborhood. It is pricey… the sale price (and it’s ALWAYS on sale price) is $3.79 for a half gallon but it’s well worth it. It’s very healthy and it tastes soooooo better than normal 1% and 2% milk. This week my last local source seems to have abandoned it altogether. I’m guessing that they sold about 10 half gallons per day but I guess that’s miniscule compared the the grand scheme of things. I’m in a panic to find another source as I can NO LONGER stand the taste of non-fat and I’d rather not have to resort to 1%.
March 30th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Does anyone have an address or telephone number or email address for the people who make Sun Milk? All of a sudden, I can’t find it at my neighborhood Vons and the store clerks seem clueless. More than usual, that is. I’d like to find out where to buy it.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
LOVE IT!!!!! As a recovering cardiac patient, this product is a god-send!!
May 4th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Can anyone tell me where I can buy SunMilk? I used to be able to purchase at Vons/Pavillions but it seems they no longer carry it. I would greatly appreciate any assistance to find a store. By the way, SunMilk is absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
May 17th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I really love Sunmilk.
The only store I have been able to purchase it is Albertons.
May 24th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Now my Alberson’s stopped carrying it. Does anyone have any other ideas on where I might find it? I’ve tried Henry’s too, but no luck.
May 24th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
My husband is distressed because he can’t find SunMilk. Actually, he’s annoyed. There’s no telephone number for SunMilk and only a post office box in Laguna Beach that may not even be good anymore.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
BLOG# 0020
It is now 17:pm(PST), May 27th, 2009, and counting. My local Albertsons has now discontinued to carry SunMilk altogether. I’m in a frantic search to look for more. No other supermarkets that i know of has it. I’ve contacted Albertson’s Customer Care, to find out from HQ when we shall see it on the shelf again. They said they will call me and let me know within 72 hours. Other sites i’ve visited regarding this matter, speaks of lack of support for the Heart Healthy elixir, a recession of it for 6 months or more, and a $1 more when it’s back on our shelves. For details, see recent report dated May 25th, 2009 @ http://www.ocregister.com/articles/organic-milk-flooding-1708071-market …. may SunMilk helps us All!
May 28th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Felix: Actually that OC Register article you posted was in 2007…
Huh. I didn’t know SunMilk has been discontinued at local SoCal markets until these recent comments. Sorry to say guys, but it looks like SunMilk may have been discontinued. Casualty of recent economic woes? Probably.
May 30th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I have been drinking Sun Milk since they sent free coupons in the mail. Just recently requested that my local Albertsons restock as they have not had it in stock for the past 2 weeks. I’m so sorry that the company has gone under. I even brought my milk on a weeks vacation in Fla. in March. If there is any way to purchase it under a different name please let me know. Thank You J King
May 30th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Not only casualty of economic woes but of the dumb-ass public. The fact that the market share for healthy milk is only 1.5% says it all. These are the same clueless cretins that have to take a plastic bag with their food purchases.
May 31st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Dang it!!! Thanks Cap, for that detail i’ve missed, i wish it wasn’t true….. i went grocery shopping on Friday, and when i arrived at the milk section, i stood there for 10 minutes, not knowing what i wanted anymore, until an employee asked if i needed help. I just grabbed the SoyMilk in shame with my head hanging low.
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Oh great now that I have found a great milk to drink I can’t get it. This makes me so upset. I never drank regular milk because it smelled horrible, tasted bad and gave me phlegm (sorry). Then I found Sunmilk and it smelled, tasted and no phlegm. PLEASE BRING IT BACK. Back to just water for me I will never drink that other crap out there. I am so sad :(. BTY I looked today in albertsons no luck.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:13 am
Yep….the royal pits…no more SunMilk. I also did the customer service thing at Albertsons and they did call me back, but were clueless concerning the availability of SunMilk. And I agree with you folks…it was the best tasting milk hands down.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:31 am
oh man… i was craving sunmilk all year long during my stay in korea and what do i find out now that im back in cali? it’s gone!!! how unfair… it was seriously good… i wish it would come back. i loved that stuff.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I’m super bummed to find this out. I no longer live in southern california but was looking forward to buying a carton when I was planning on visiting. Hopefully someone will pick this back up. SunMilk was the best!!
August 5th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Sunmilk was fantastic. It had the creamy taste of 2% fat milk without any animal fat. Our family loved it. The closest thing We’ve found is Horizon Organic 1% fat. Even though its only 1% it has the texture and creaminess that is similar to a 2% milk. Not a perfect replacement for what Sunmilk was but its pretty good for a 1%. To me, normal 1% is like drinking white colored water. Yuk!
Sunmilk RIP
September 1st, 2009 at 10:53 pm
I was so sad that sun milk was discontinued, i almost cried, Im not kidding. Sun milk had a great taste and was fat free, I have been looking for something comparable to it and have not found it ,and honestly don’t believe I will. Sunmilk help lower my cholesterol as well. I am honestly thinking about trying to get information on what it would take to have sunmilk produced, I tried some other milk tht boasted of being fat free and creamy,another disappointment. I can’t give up on my sunmilk and other epople that I refered to sunmilk instantly feel in love with it!!! Please let some other dairy pick up the recipe for producing sunmilk, what would it hurt, actually I believe it would help, just like it did for me!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Zettie, if you find anything out. Please let me know!! (born2run000@yahoo.com)
I sooooo miss my SunMilk.
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:29 am
I liked Sun Milk a lot. I hope someone picks up the ball and makes it again. In general, I don’t believe milk is an ideal food for humans, but if you enjoy it and don’t like non-fat, this is a great alternative. It has a little bit of a nutty flavor, which I enjoy just drinking in a cup. It’s great in cereal or coffee. And there is no arguing that it has benefits over regular milk because they took out the cholesterol, but gave it a nice taste by changing to a vegetable based fat.