Alpenmilch is not a protected description of origin or feeding of the cows, has no legal defintion, and can be put on any milk from anywhere. It's just marketing.
"Bergbauernmilch" would be such a protected label.
this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2023
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So how do you milk a Bergbauer?
Asking the real questions here
Alps have no udders.
It is cow milk.
Yes, Milka chocolate always contains "Alpen Milch". Not that this term actually matters. The cows are seeing as much of the Alps as their relatives up north: Pretty much nothing. It doesn't matter after all if the stable is in Bavaria, Austria or Schleswig-Holstein but the label makes for some nice marketing
Milka is largely produced in southern germany (Lörrach) and Austria. As they source their milk locally, it would generally contain, in some (or even all) cases probably exclusively "Alpenmilch".
As others have pointed out, "Alpenmilch" is not a protected term like "Champagne", so useage varies wildly. Milka uses the definition of Alps+Alpenvorland, which is comprised of the southernmost districts of Germany. They at least used to get Milk from the Company OMIRA which sits in Ravensburg - definetly not a very alpine region, but also not too far off.
On a fair wether day you can at least see the alps from there, at least if you are up on a hill. I guess it depends on what makes the milk special, the sight of the alps, the angle of the pasture,...?
And the cow is purple. Seen on TV.
The question to ask is: where do the Alps start and is milk from cows that graze at the foot of the Alps 'Alpenmich'?