Enjoying a monopoly on milk and by-products, the current producer is laughing all the way to the bank.

When the 500ml carton price went up, the Consumer Department slept. With the price of skimmed milk almost the same as the full fat milk, with the cream’s resultant sale as a by-product or exported, it is literally cream on profits.

Why does a carton of milk have a best-before date of a certain number of days during the week, which is then increased over the weekend or because of a midweek public holiday? Milk is classified as a foodstuff. Why do cartons have no date indicating when packed? Hush, the department is still slumbering.