Is reduced fat milk made from powdered milk?

Last updated 26/03/2024

Reduced-fat milk contains all the same nutrients as regular-fat milk and is simply made by removing part of the fat component in regular milk.

Reduced-fat milk must contain no more than 1.5% fat content under food law. Reduced-fat milk has approximately 2% fat and regular milk has on average 3.5% fat and no less than 3.2% fat. 

All fresh milks go through a process of pasteurisation to heat milk to 72°C to remove harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. When making reduced-fat milk, centrifugal separation, a spinning process, removes some of the fat globules or cream to lower the fat content. Skim milk solids may be added back to improve the test and texture, and increase nutrients like protein and calcium.  

Read more about the types of dairy milk and the ten essential nutrients and health benefits of cow’s milk here.