Is skim milk similar to fat free milk ?!

Skim milk is a dairy product with an extremely low fat percentage. In some nations, skim milk is labeled as “fat free” milk, since many labeling laws allow foods with negligible fat contents to be labeled as “fat free”. Most grocery stores and dairies stock skim milk, along with low-fat and whole milk products. For people who are concerned about the amount of fat in their diets, skim milk is an excellent alternative to whole milk, although some individuals do not enjoy the flavor.

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@ Anja: YOU ARE RUDE!

Skim Milk vs Fat Free Milk: Facts

Skim Milk: Conventionally, skim milk was prepared by simply removing the thick top layer of fat or cream from the dairy milk. But, nowadays with the help of centrifugation, the fat content is totally separated from the milk to obtain skim milk. Following are the nutritional components of 1 glass (16oz) of skim milk.
1.Fat - less than 0.5%
2.Calcium - 316 mg
3.Calories - 90
Skim milk is rich in nutrients like vitamins A and D, magnesium and phosphorous which are added during processing. So it is richer than whole milk in terms of nutrients. Read more on skim milk vs whole milk and skim milk vs soy milk.

Fat Free Milk: While skim milk contains reduced fat levels of less than 1% or may be up to 2.5% in different varieties, fat free milk contains absolutely no fat. But generally, skim milk is confused with fat free milk as many dairies label their products separately such as '1% Milk'(containing 1% fat) and '2% Milk'(containing 2% fat), so as to give the consumers more options. The dairies are following a new way of marketing, stressing on the words 'fat free', since people have become more conscious about the fat content in anything they consume. 'Fat-free' sounds better than 'skim' and thus sells more. Thus, skim milk is now sold under the label of fat free milk.

Skim Milk vs Fat Free Milk: Legalities

United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) has recently changed the laws for milk labeling. Four types of milk are recognized by the USDA. These different types of milks are differentiated on the basis of the amount of fat (cream or butterfat) present in them. Following are the types of recognized milk:
1.Whole milk - Minimum fat - 3.25%
2.2% Milk - Reduced fat - 2.0 to 2.5%
3.1% Milk - Reduced fat - 1 to 1.5%
4.Fat Free Milk - 0 to 0.5% Fat
Difference Between Skim Milk and Fat Free Milk

From the above discussion, it is quite clear that skimmed milk which contains 0.5% fat, is known as fat free milk while 1% milk or 2% milk can be considered as skim milk along with the 0.5% milk. We can conclude that there is almost no difference between skim milk and fat free milk with the fat level differing by 0.5%. Skim milk and fat free milk, being almost the same, do not portray any marked difference in their nutritional value as well. Fat free milk is just the new term for marketing skim milk which has negligible fat.

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don't drink cows milk, it's so bad for you. cows milk is composed of bacteria, pus and casein (milk protein). casein is the glue (yes, glue) they use to glue labels on beer bottles. you are much better off drinking almond, soy or rice milk.

Yes, they are the same thing. The skim refers to the fact that all of the cream (the fat content) is skimmed off of the top of the milk.

Skim and fat free are the same thing just depends on who your talking to.