This article is about the fluid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. For the milk-like beverages derived from plants, see Plant milk. For other uses of the word, see Milk (disambiguation).
As an agricultural product, milk is collected from farm animals, mostly cattle, on a dairy. It is used by humans as a drink and as the base ingredient for dairy products. The US CDC recommends that children over the age of 12 months (the minimum age to stop giving breast milk or formula) should have two servings of milk products a day,[3] and more than six billion people worldwide consume milk and milk products.[4] The ability for adult humans to digest milk relies on lactase persistence, so lactose intolerant individuals have trouble digesting lactose.
In 2011, dairy farms produced around 730 million tonnes (800 million short tons) of milk[5] from 260 million dairy cows.[6]India is the world's largest producer of milk and the leading exporter of skimmed milk powder.[7][8] New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands are the largest exporters of milk products.[9] Between 750 and 900 million people live in dairy-farming households.[4]
^"Food Outlook– Global Market Analysis"(PDF). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. May 2012. pp. 8, 51–54. Archived(PDF) from the original on May 22, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.