Debt - Schedule of Debt Instruments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt obligations	$ 840,766	$ 917,179
Less current portion	(1,392)	(698)
Total long-term portion	839,374	916,481
Dean Foods Company
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt obligations	700,000	546,120
Dean Foods Company \| Senior secured credit facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility	$ 0	$ 70,301
Weighted average rate (percent)	0.00%	2.93%
Dean Foods Company \| Senior Notes Due 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	$ 0	$ 475,819
Interest rate (percent)	0.00%	7.00%
Dean Foods Company \| Senior Notes Due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	$ 700,000	$ 0
Interest rate (percent)	6.50%	0.00%
Subsidiary
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt obligations	$ 140,766	$ 371,059
Subsidiary \| Capital lease and other
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capital lease and other	$ 4,147	1,146
Subsidiary \| Receivables Securitization
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Receivables-back facility		$ 235,000
Interest rate (percent)	0.00%	1.30%
Subsidiary \| Senior Notes Due 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	$ 136,619	$ 134,913
Weighted average rate (percent)	6.90%	6.90%

Capital Lease Obligations and Other Borrowings

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- Definition

Sum of the carrying values as of the balance sheet date of all debt, including all short-term borrowings, long-term debt, and capital lease obligations.

+ References

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

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Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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Weighted average interest rate of debt outstanding.

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- Definition

The carrying value as of the balance sheet date of the current and noncurrent portions of long-term obligations drawn from a line of credit, which is a bank's commitment to make loans up to a specific amount. Examples of items that might be included in the application of this element may consist of letters of credit, standby letters of credit, and revolving credit arrangements, under which borrowings can be made up to a maximum amount as of any point in time conditional on satisfaction of specified terms before, as of and after the date of drawdowns on the line. Includes short-term obligations that would normally be classified as current liabilities but for which (a) postbalance sheet date issuance of a long term obligation to refinance the short term obligation on a long term basis, or (b) the enterprise has entered into a financing agreement that clearly permits the enterprise to refinance the short-term obligation on a long term basis and the following conditions are met (1) the agreement does not expire within 1 year and is not cancelable by the lender except for violation of an objectively determinable provision, (2) no violation exists at the BS date, and (3) the lender has entered into the financing agreement is expected to be financially capable of honoring the agreement.

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- Definition

Amount of long-term debt and capital lease obligation due after one year or beyond the normal operating cycle, if longer.

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-Number Topic 6

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Amount of long-term debt and capital leases due within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer.

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Carrying value as of the balance sheet date, including the current and noncurrent portions, of collateralized debt obligations (with maturities initially due after one year or beyond the operating cycle, if longer). Such obligations include mortgage loans, chattel loans, and any other borrowings secured by assets of the borrower.

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- Definition

Including the current and noncurrent portions, carrying value as of the balance sheet date of Notes with the highest claim on the assets of the issuer in case of bankruptcy or liquidation (with maturities initially due after one year or beyond the operating cycle if longer). Senior note holders are paid off in full before any payments are made to junior note holders.

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