How Much Fat in Milk?

Many people are confused by the fat percentage on milk labels. For instance the label may say 2% fat, which sounds like almost nothing, but to put this into perspective, this is the same as getting one pat of butter in every eight ounce glass of milk! This milk gets 35% of its calories from fat. The 2% represents how much of the total weight of milk is fat, which, to the consumer, is almost meaningless. The following chart shows new labeling standards:

New Label	Fat Grams/Serving	% Calories from Fat
No-fat, fat-free or skim	½ g.	4%
Low fat (formerly 1%)	2½ g.	23%
Whole milk	8+ g.	50%