White liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals
This article is about the fluid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. For the milk-like beverages derived from plants, see Plant milk. For other uses of the word, see Milk (disambiguation).
As an agricultural product, dairy milk is collected from farm animals. In 2011, dairy farms produced around 730 million tonnes (800 million short tons) of milk[3] from 260 million dairy cows.[4]India is the world's largest producer of milk and the leading exporter of skimmed milk powder, but it exports few other milk products.[5][6] Because there is an ever-increasing demand for dairy products in India, it could eventually become a net importer of dairy products.[7] New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands are the largest exporters of milk products.[8] The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children over the age of 12 months should have two servings of dairy milk products a day.[9]
More than six billion people worldwide consume milk and milk products, and between 750 and 900 million people live in dairy-farming households.[10]
^"Milk". The Nutrition Source. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. July 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
^"Food Outlook– Global Market Analysis"(PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. May 2012. pp. 8, 51–54. Archived(PDF) from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.