My milk went sour before the "best before" date. Why?
The "best before" date refers to the projected shelf life of an unopened container of milk which has been stored at the proper temperature. Kawartha Dairy recommends storing milk at 2° C (35.6° F). Once a bag or carton of milk has been opened, it is vulnerable to environmental factors and the "best before" date is no longer valid. Continued temperature control is vital at all stages of your milk's trip from the dairy to the store, to storage at the store, on the way home to your fridge and to storage in your own home. If at any stage the milk is allowed to be stored for prolonged periods at temperatures exceeding 4° C (39.2° F), shelf life will be affected and premature spoilage may result. In fact, the shelf life of milk is shortened by a full 50% for every 5° F (3° C) rise in temperature over the ideal 2 ° C (35.6° F) temperature.
You can also help to keep your milk fresh by doing the following:
- Keep the milk cold!
- Sunlight will change the taste of your milk. Avoid contact with sunlight.
- Keep the containers out just long enough to serve, then return your milk to the fridge immediately.
- Rotate your milk; use older milk first.
- Leave milk in its original container to safeguard its flavour and food value.
- Store milk away from strong smelling foods to prevent a transfer of odour and taste.
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Where can I buy your products in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)? What about other parts of the province?
Kawartha Dairy's main distribution area is Central Ontario, where our products are available in many retail and foodservice locations. In the GTA, our ice cream is available by the scoop and in take home 1.5L packages at a number of outlets. For a list of selected locations where you can find our ice cream in the GTA, see the "Where To Buy" section of the website. Our other dairy products, such as milk and cream, are not available in the GTA.
Kawartha Dairy ice cream is available in a limited number of locations in Eastern and Southwestern Ontario. If you are looking for an outlet, email info@kawarthadairy.com. Kawartha Dairy products are not currently available in Northern Ontario, other Canadian provinces or the United States.
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I'm having a special event (or wedding reception etc). Does Kawartha Dairy have a service where they can come and provide ice cream by the scoop or set up an ice cream sundae station?
Unfortunately, Kawartha Dairy does not provide that service. We do, however, take special orders and can provide you with the flavours and sizes of ice cream that you need for your special event. Just give us one week's notice to ensure that we have the flavour and sizes in stock that you are looking for.
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I'm allergic to foods containing gluten. Does your ice cream contain gluten?
We do produce ice cream products in our facility that contain gluten, therefore, we cannot guarantee that any of our ice cream flavours have not come into contact with ingredients containing gluten. For a list of flavours that do not have ingredients containing gluten, go to the Nutrition section of our website.
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Can Kawartha Dairy provide a donation for my organization / group / team / club / charity?
Every year we receive hundreds of requests for donations from all kinds of groups. Because of the volume of requests we cannot lend support to them all but do consider each request. We do provide product or financial support to many, which are often oriented to charitable causes or events that either raise money for children's projects or directly support them. In addition, a conscious decision was made several years ago to provide substantial annual support to both Toronto's Hospital For Sick Children and Lindsay's Ross Memorial Hospital. We have also recently committed to multi-year support to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
If you would like to make a donation request, we must receive it in writing at least 3 weeks in advance of the required date to allow time for our Donations Committee to consider it. Please be specific as to what exactly you are requesting and provide a contact name, address and phone number. Requests should be emailed to info@kawarthadairy.com or faxed to (705) 738-3136, attention Donations Committee.
Do Kawartha Dairy products contain any growth hormones or antibiotics?
Kawartha Dairy's products do not contain any Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH). Unlike the U.S., the use of BGH is illegal in Canada.
Dairy cattle may be given antibiotics due to sickness. While they are being given antibiotics, and for a regulated period afterwards, their milk is not collected for human consumption. All milk collected from dairy farms is tested for the presence of antibiotics and if it is detected, the entire shipment of milk is rejected. The farm where the antibiotics originated is then suspended from shipping milk until the situation is investigated and resolved.
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