Why A Gallon Of Milk Looks Totally Different In Canada

When shopping for milk in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes, you'll notice it comes in big, floppy bags that are also referred to as pillow pouches.

The milk comes in a four-liter bag of milk, which is separated into three smaller bags within a larger bag. This adds up to a little more than a U.S. gallon.

The first plastic bag was developed in 1965, and an American chemical company brought a thin plastic bag to Canada in 1967, which was transitioning to using the metric system.

The plastic bags offered a quick and flexible solution to adapt to the new measurements. Bagged milk, in particular, is also considered more sustainable than other options.

Compared to plastic jugs, plastic milk bags use about 20-30% less plastic. Pillow pouches are also thin and flexible, requiring about 20-30% less energy to produce and transport.

Even though pillow pouches are single-use plastic and end up in landfills, they have been proven to be the most sustainable option for milk packaging in Canada.