eli5: Why is there 1%, 2%, and whole milk but not any other percentage?

Question

I just feel like its weird how the percentage goes from 1-2% to whole.

Also, what do these percentages even mean? How can you turn milk into 1% or 2% milk?

In: Other

Answer 1

In Canada, what you call “Whole Milk” is sold as “Homogenised Milk” (aka “Homo Milk”) and defines the fat percentage as 3.75%

That’s the highest milk fat percentage you’re going to get outside of herds of rare breeds of cattle (I hear there are some in Scandinavia that give >5%)