Milk from goats is available in supermarkets. On the shelves of our local store in England, I have found cartons boldly labelled all three of
- Goats Milk
- Goat's Milk
- Goats' Milk
Most brands use no apostrophe at all, which does not seem right. Brands which use "Goat's" seem to imply that the milk comes from precisely one goat, which seems unlikely. Brands which use "Goats'" may have it right; however, every molecule of milk in the carton did, originally, come from precisely one goat, a molecule of a goat's milk.
Is there any hope of finding a "correct" position for the apostrophe in this case? Must we forever live with this example of the greengrocers [sic] apostrophe?
Best Answer
I think it's useful to substitute "child" and "painting" because child is a word where the plurals and possessive forms are more obviously different.
What would be the correct label for a picture drawn by several kids?
I think the third - the possessive plural. This suggests that "Goats' Milk" is the correct label for the milk.