Stewart's Shops Milk Named Best in New York State

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Stewart's Shops has the best milk in New York State, according to Cornell University's Department of Food Science.

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based Stewart's Shops, operator of 330 convenience stores in upstate New York and southern Vermont, earned a perfect score for its milk for the second time, according to The Saratogian.

The award is part of Cornell's New York State Milk Quality Improvement Program. Since the university began the awards program in 1997, only four perfect scores have been achieved, with Stewart's Shops receiving the honor twice; the first time being in 2007. The c-store operator's milk also earned first-place honors in 2005 and 2008.

Stewart's milk is produced by more than 30 dairy farmers from three New York counties and arrives on store shelves within 48 hours of leaving the farm, the retailer stated.

"As a family- and employee-owned company, we all take pride in an award like this," Stewart's President Gary Dake said in a news release. "We care for our milk every step of the way. From our local farms to our own dairy, everyone strives to provide our customers fresh, high-quality milk that we can now say is best in the state."

Cornell collected samples from New York State plants between July 2012 and July 2013, the news outlet reported. Varieties tested included whole milk, 2 percent, 1 percent and skim milk. The samples were scored on criteria including bacteria counts, flavor and butterfat content.

Stewart's milk can also be found in several other items in its stores, including its World's Best Ice Cream as awarded by the World Dairy Expo earlier this month.