Debt - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 2,373,280	$ 2,200,899	$ 7,108,189	$ 6,720,871
Cost of sales	1,956,480	1,759,614	5,876,126	5,312,054
Gross profit	416,800	441,285	1,232,063	1,408,817
Selling and distribution	337,346	333,456	1,011,657	1,005,131
General and administrative	69,728	72,274	212,804	243,626
Amortization of intangibles	714	910	2,175	2,785
Facility closing and reorganization costs	2,805	7,268	4,510	17,817
Litigation settlements	0	0	(2,521)	(1,019)
Impairment of long-lived assets	7,400	4,422	7,400	41,941
Other operating (income) loss	0	285	(4,535)	2,494
Interest expense	15,233	30,238	45,477	180,009
Gain on disposition of WhiteWave common stock	0	(415,783)	0	(415,783)
Other income, net	(487)	(126)	(760)	(489)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(15,939)	408,341	(44,144)	332,305
Income tax benefit	(803)	(7,177)	(18,253)	(30,416)
Income (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	(15,136)	415,518	(25,891)	362,721
Equity in earnings (loss) of consolidated subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(15,136)	415,518	(25,891)	362,721
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(836)	0	(836)	2,891
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	0	(398)	1,154	491,422
Net income (loss)	(15,972)	415,120	(25,573)	857,034
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	484	(383,215)	2,437	54,915
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in discontinued operations	0	0	0	(6,179)
Net income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	(15,972)	415,120	(25,573)	850,855
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(383,215)		56,299
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	(15,488)	31,905	(23,136)	907,154
Dean Foods Company
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0	0	0	0
Cost of sales	0	0	0	0
Gross profit	0	0	0	0
Selling and distribution	0	0	0	0
General and administrative	790	1,357	1,408	992
Amortization of intangibles	0	0	0	0
Facility closing and reorganization costs	0	0	0	0
Litigation settlements			(2,521)	(1,019)
Impairment of long-lived assets	0	0	0	0
Other operating (income) loss		290	0	290
Interest expense	10,496	26,246	32,307	168,062
Gain on disposition of WhiteWave common stock		(415,783)		(415,783)
Other income, net	(800)	(400)	(1,400)	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(10,486)	388,290	(29,794)	247,458
Income tax benefit	6,560	(13,936)	1,235	(64,220)
Income (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	(17,046)	402,226	(31,029)	311,678
Equity in earnings (loss) of consolidated subsidiaries	1,110	13,292	4,653	539,575
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(15,936)	415,518	(26,376)	851,253
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	0		0	0
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	(36)	(398)	802	(398)
Net income (loss)	(15,972)		(25,574)	850,855
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	862		2,008
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in discontinued operations				0
Net income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company		415,120		850,855
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(383,312)		63,955
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	(15,110)	31,808	(23,566)	914,810
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	2,370,161	2,197,974	7,098,125	6,710,398
Cost of sales	1,953,984	1,757,469	5,868,162	5,304,577
Gross profit	416,177	440,505	1,229,963	1,405,821
Selling and distribution	337,048	333,096	1,010,667	1,003,990
General and administrative	68,385	70,440	209,819	241,277
Amortization of intangibles	714	910	2,175	2,785
Facility closing and reorganization costs	2,805	7,268	4,510	17,817
Litigation settlements			0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	7,400	4,422	7,400	38,527
Other operating (income) loss		(5)	(4,535)	2,204
Interest expense	2,914	2,906	8,954	8,807
Gain on disposition of WhiteWave common stock		0		0
Other income, net	1,507	588	2,664	414
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(4,596)	20,880	(11,691)	90,000
Income tax benefit	(6,785)	8,131	(18,426)	36,949
Income (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	2,189	12,749	6,735	53,051
Equity in earnings (loss) of consolidated subsidiaries	(279)	(362)	(1,689)	(2,610)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	1,910	12,387	5,046	50,441
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(45)		(45)	0
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	61	0	0	491,825
Net income (loss)	1,926		5,001	542,266
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	51		138
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in discontinued operations				0
Net income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company		12,387		542,266
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		139		432
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	1,977	12,526	5,139	542,698
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	3,119	2,925	10,064	10,473
Cost of sales	2,496	2,145	7,964	7,477
Gross profit	623	780	2,100	2,996
Selling and distribution	298	360	990	1,141
General and administrative	553	477	1,577	1,357
Amortization of intangibles	0	0	0	0
Facility closing and reorganization costs	0	0	0	0
Litigation settlements			0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	0	0	0	3,414
Other operating (income) loss		0	0	0
Interest expense	1,823	1,086	4,216	3,140
Gain on disposition of WhiteWave common stock		0		0
Other income, net	(1,194)	(314)	(2,024)	(903)
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	(857)	(829)	(2,659)	(5,153)
Income tax benefit	(578)	(1,372)	(1,062)	(3,145)
Income (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	(279)	543	(1,597)	(2,008)
Equity in earnings (loss) of consolidated subsidiaries	0		0	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(279)	543	(1,597)	(2,008)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	(791)		(791)	2,891
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	(25)	0	352	(5)
Net income (loss)	(1,095)		(2,036)	878
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(429)		291
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in discontinued operations				(6,179)
Net income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company		543		(5,301)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(42)		(8,088)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	(1,524)	501	(1,745)	(13,389)
Eliminations
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0	0	0	0
Cost of sales	0	0	0	0
Gross profit	0	0	0	0
Selling and distribution	0	0	0	0
General and administrative	0	0	0	0
Amortization of intangibles	0	0	0	0
Facility closing and reorganization costs	0	0	0	0
Litigation settlements			0	0
Impairment of long-lived assets	0	0	0	0
Other operating (income) loss		0	0	0
Interest expense	0	0	0	0
Gain on disposition of WhiteWave common stock		0		0
Other income, net	0	0	0	0
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes	0	0	0	0
Income tax benefit	0	0	0	0
Income (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Equity in earnings (loss) of consolidated subsidiaries	(831)	(12,930)	(2,964)	(536,965)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	(831)	(12,930)	(2,964)	(536,965)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax	0		0	0
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	0	0	0	0
Net income (loss)	(831)		(2,964)	(536,965)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	0		0
Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest in discontinued operations				0
Net income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company		(12,930)		(536,965)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		0		0
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Dean Foods Company	$ (831)	$ (12,930)	$ (2,964)	$ (536,965)