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 America whole milk has been standardized to 3.25% butterfat. Dairy cows actually produce a higher percentage of butter fat than this. In fact dairy farmers are paid a premium for milk with a higher fat content. The dairies then remove butterfat to achieve the desired level of fat in the milk and sell the cream separately in various products. This chart will show you the composition of raw milk being sold to the dairies by various breeds. [https://queries.uscdcb.com/publish/dhi/current/laall.shtml](https://queries.uscdcb.com/publish/dhi/current/laall.shtml)