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Lots Of Americans Apparently Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows

Lots Of Americans Apparently Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows

You’ve probably heard the old joke that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

In the minds of some people, that idea is all too real.

Just to avoid any confusion right off the bat ― chocolate milk is just regular milk that has been mixed with chocolate syrup or cocoa powder.

But a survey conducted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy found that 7 percent of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, spokeswoman Lisa McComb confirmed to HuffPost.

Food and Wine covered the survey on June 1, but the statistic went viral on Thursday after the Washington Post published its report on the findings.

One problem ― it’s tough to gauge the survey’s reliability. It’s possible, for instance, that some people were simply trying to be funny while answering the question.

McComb told HuffPost the survey was conducted by market researching group Edelman Intelligence and polled 1,000 people.

“Responses came from all 50 states, and the regional response breakdown was fairly even, with a slight uptick (approx. 10% higher) in the South,” McComb said in an email.

Pollyana FMS via Getty Images

The center, though, was unable to provide a full copy of the survey. And when asked about the survey’s methodology, McComb only said it was “conducted online.”

That said, any adults thinking chocolate milk comes from brown cows is too many. The Post notes that the finding fits a general pattern of Americans being a bit fuzzy on where their food comes from. For instance, a Department of Agriculture study from the 1990’s found that almost 1 in 5 adults didn’t know hamburgers were beef.

In any case, we hope coverage of this survey helps clear things up for some people. And we’re still left with one burning question ― where do these people think strawberry milk comes from?

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