Survey: Millions Believe Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows

By Nancy Coleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some adults don't know where chocolate milk comes from, and we're a little concerned.

A survey from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy found that 7 percent of American adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. And if that percentage sounds small enough to be reasonable, hang onto your hats: 7 percent of American adults is about 17.3 million people.

That's right, folks. Millions of people have somehow made it this far in life without realizing that chocolate flavoring doesn't come out of a cow.

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Seriously, let's humor the 7 percent for a second here -- if milk color is directly dependent on the color of the cow it comes from, why wouldn't regular milk have scattered black spots? But let's move on.

The online survey polled 1,000 American adults over a five-day period in May. It kicked off the center's "Undeniably Dairy" campaign, which promotes healthy dairy products and farms.

"It is a bit surprising," a spokeswoman for the campaign told CNN. "We don't have a suggestion as to why people would draw that conclusion."

The survey did find some other statistics that were considerably less appalling. A quarter of Americans have gone to the store before 6 a.m. just to get milk, and 95 percent of Americans currently have at least one kind of cheese in their fridge.

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If you're reading this story because you're in that 7 percent, we hear your cry for help. We know this is hard to process, and you're probably starting to question everything.

"To be fair, some milk questions and myths may make us smile," the center wrote on its website to clarify the age-old cow conundrum. "But we realize we need accurate information to make the best choices for ourselves and our families about what we eat."

So, to the 7 percent that's still reeling from your world turning upside down, have some chocolate milk. It's a great comfort drink, and, hey -- you can even make it yourself.

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