Post by @michael_girdley

Why America stopped drinking milk Back in the mid-1940s, the average American drank about 45 gallons of milk every year. It wasn't just a staple of the American diet, it was practically the nation's official drink. Today, that number has fallen by more than 70%, to roughly 17 gallons per person. In 2019, Dean Foods, once a $14 billion company and the largest milk producer in the United States, filed for bankruptcy. Just two months later, Borden Dairy, the 163-year-old company famous for Elsie the Cow, filed for bankruptcy as well. So what happened? Why has one of America's most iconic industries collapsed? The answer isn't as simple as changing consumer tastes, and the real reasons might surprise you. This is the rise and fall of milk.