Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Product Quality

A. To preserve the quality of milk and other dairy foods, the following practices are recommended for consumers:

Containers. All Roberts Dairy products are packaged in proper containers to achieve maximum shelf life. It is not recommended that you serve or store the products in alternate containers. Proper containers protect milk from exposure to sunlight, bright daylight and strong fluorescent light. This will prevent the development of off-flavors and reductions in light-sensitive nutrients such as riboflavin, ascorbic acid and vitamin B6.

Storage of milk. Refrigerate Roberts Dairy milk at 40°F or less as soon as possible after purchase. (We recommend keeping a small Styrofoam cooler in your car during hot months to prevent spoilage of milk in the trunk.) Keep milk containers closed to prevent the absorption of other food flavors in the refrigerator. An absorbed flavor changes the taste but the milk is still safe. Storing milk in the door of the refrigerator can cause it to spoil before the expiration date as the door is not as cold as the rest of the refrigerator. Use milk in the order purchased. Return the milk container to the refrigerator immediately to prevent bacterial growth. Temperatures above 40°F reduce the shelf life of milk and other milk products. Never return unused milk to the original container.

Yogurt, buttermilk and acidophilus milk should be stored in closed containers in the refrigerator at 40°F to maintain their quality. Yogurt will keep for about a week and buttermilk and acidophilus milk will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended for any of Roberts’ cultured dairy foods. Store ice cream tightly covered in the freezer at 0°F. To avoid crystallization and volume loss, scoop ice cream, keeping the surface as level as possible. Cover the surface of ice cream with plastic wrap before reclosing and return to the freezer immediately.

To preserve Roberts Dairy butter flavor and freshness, refrigerate opened butter in a covered dish in the butter compartment. Unopened, wrapped salted butter may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Butter can be frozen in its original wrapper for several months. Unsalted butter is best kept frozen until ready to use. For longer freezer storage, wrap in foil or plastic. Unsalted butter can be kept frozen for about 5 months at 0°F. Salted butter can be frozen for about 6 to 9 months. It is not recommended that you leave butter uncovered for long periods of time at room temperature as it will spoil quickly.

To store cream, keep it refrigerated in its closed container at 40°F or lower. It should be used within one week. Ultrapasteurized cream keeps several weeks longer, but once opened, it should be handled like pasteurized cream. Freezing is not recommended for unwhipped cream, but once whipped, cream may be frozen. Place dollops of whipped cream on waxed paper and freeze. When frozen, wrap individually for use as needed.

A. Open dating is the date on milk and other Roberts Dairy food containers indicating when the product was manufactured or meant to be sold by. It is used by the industry to indicate the age of individual packages and does not reflect the shelf life of the product. Generally, proper refrigeration ensures freshness for several days beyond the "sell by” date. Regulation of open dating varies among states and municipalities.

A. Roberts Dairy products are made with only the highest-quality ingredients, then delivered fresh to your favorite stores every day. Some of our products, such as our flavored ice creams and yogurts, do contain artificial ingredients to preserve and enhance flavor, color and freshness.

A. For our customers with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, our gluten-free products are a healthy alternative. Choose from a large list of dairy products and beverages. Please note that our dairy foods and beverages not listed here may contain gluten.

Gluten-Free Dairy Foods and Beverages:

Milk

Milk
Reduced Fat Milk
Low Fat Milk
Skim Milk
Chocolate Milk
Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk
Low Fat Chocolate Milk
Fat Free Chocolate Milk
Strawberry Milk

Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese

Regular Sour Cream
Lite Sour Cream
Fat Free Sour Cream
Large Curd Cottage Cheese
Small Curd Cottage Cheese
Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Fat Free Cottage Cheese

Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream
French Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Chocolate Ice Cream
Mint Chip Ice Cream
Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream
Chocolate Coated Vanilla Flavored Ice Cream Bars
Reduced Fat Ice Cream Bars
Old Recipe Bars
North Star branded Fudge Bars
Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry Ice Cream Cups
All Sherbet flavors

Shake Mixes

Vanilla and Chocolate Shake Mix
Low Fat Shake Base
4% and 5% Vanilla and Chocolate Reduced Fat Ice Cream Mix
6%, 10% and 14% Vanilla Mix

Miscellaneous Dairy Products

Orange Juice
Iced Tea
Whipping Cream
Half and Half
Butter
All Low Fat and Fat Free Yogurt flavors

A. If properly refrigerated, milk generally stays fresh for several days after the "sell by" date.

A. You can always count on Roberts Dairy to be a true hometown favorite! The majority of our milk is supplied by farmers within a 50-mile radius of our processing plants. Roberts Dairy operates three fluid milk and juice plants in Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, Missouri and Iowa City, Iowa.

A. With the exception of butter, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and other frozen dairy desserts, freezing of most Roberts Dairy foods (e.g., milk, cream, yogurt, milk puddings, soft cheeses) is not recommended. Although natural hard cheeses, semi-hard cheeses and processed cheeses can be frozen, freezing affects their texture, causing them to become crumbly and mealy after thawing. However, they are suitable for cooking and/or for use in salads or salad dressing. If frozen, cheeses should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Cheese that has been frozen should be used as soon as possible after thawing.

A. Look for Roberts Dairy products at your favorite stores in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

A. Yes. All Roberts Dairy paper and plastic containers are recyclable. Check with your local recycling facility to determine which products they may or may not accept for recycling.

A. To maintain the quality of our products, it is not currently possible for us to ship them outside of our distribution area. However, your family and friends can do the following to help maintain freshness if they ship Roberts’ products to you.

Here are the items you will need for shipping: a Styrofoam cooler, cardboard box (bigger than the cooler), large heavy-duty garbage bag, resealable plastic bags (one for each product) and ice.

Any product with a lid will need to be reinforced by sealing it with tape. Place each item in its own resealable plastic bag. All small plastic bags should be put in the garbage bag. Put the garbage bag in the cooler, fill it with ice and seal it. Tape the cooler lid shut and put in the cardboard box for shipping.

Use of Artificial Growth Hormones

A. Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin

A. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (also known as rbGH or rbST) is a genetically engineered drug. It is injected into dairy cows to induce them to increase milk production, typically by 5-15%. It’s estimated that 15-20% of the cows in the United States are injected with this hormone. It was approved by the FDA in 1993.

A. No, effective February 1, 2008, Roberts Dairy will only use milk from dairy farmers who have pledged to not treat their cows with artificial growth hormones. While the FDA has found no significant difference between milk from treated and untreated herds, some of our customers prefer their milk to come from untreated cows.

A. Before the 1993 approval of rbST, FDA determined that the recombinant, or genetically engineered form of bST, is virtually identical to a cow’s natural somatotropin, a hormone produced in the pituitary gland that stimulates the production of milk. During that rbST approval process, FDA concluded that there is no significant difference between milk from treated and untreated cows. For that reason, FDA also concluded it does not have the authority to require special labeling for milk and dairy products from rbST-treated cows, and that producers have no basis for claiming that milk from cows not treated with rbST is safer than milk from rbST-treated cows.

Coupons/Donations/Fundraising

A. Yes. Roberts Dairy knows the importance of being a good neighbor and community member. We actively support local and regional causes, events and organizations that seek to help make our communities better places to live. In order to benefit as many nonprofits as possible, Roberts Dairy offers the Roberts Dairy ABC (“Always the Best for Children”) Value Book. Roberts will donate the books to your organization to sell for $1 each and in return, you keep all of the proceeds. Please click here to submit an ABC Value Book Participation form.

A. Look for money-saving coupons in your Sunday paper. Click here to check your local schedule.

Recipes & Recipe Contest

A. To print a recipe from our website, select the recipe you’d like to print and when it appears on your computer screen, simply print that page. Or, you can copy the text and paste it into your favorite word processing document to print it from there.

A. The Roberts Dairy website will feature frequent contests. While we are not currently running a contest, below are instructions for entering a contest that has since expired.

You can submit your favorite recipes in our “Share Your Favorite Recipe” contest online or you can print your recipe on a 3" x 5" index card and mail to:

“Share Your Favorite Recipe”
P.O. Box 3825
Omaha, NE, 68103-0825

Please include your name, address and phone number on your entry. Entries must be received before 12/25/06. No purchase is necessary. Click here to read the official rules.

A. If you are having trouble viewing a particular recipe, please check your Internet and computer settings and try again. If the problem persists, please contact us.