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Common Stock, Dividends, Per Share, Quarterly Rate, Expected

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Percentage Of Fee Value Option To Receive In Restricted Stock

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Represents the expense recognized during the period arising from equity-based compensation arrangements (for example, shares of stock, unit, stock options or other equity instruments) with employees, directors and certain consultants qualifying for treatment as employees.

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Aggregate dividends paid during the period for each share of common stock outstanding.

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Face amount or stated value per share of common stock.

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The maximum number of common shares permitted to be issued by an entity's charter and bylaws.

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Aggregate proceeds received by the entity during the annual period from exercises of stock or unit options and conversion of similar instruments granted under equity-based payment arrangements.

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Unrecognized cost of unvested share-based compensation awards.

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Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation is expected to be recognized for equity-based compensation plans, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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Disclosure of the aggregate tax benefit realized from the exercise of stock options and the conversion of similar instruments during the annual period.

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Cash outflow in the form of capital distributions and dividends to common shareholders, preferred shareholders and noncontrolling interests.

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The maximum number of nonredeemable preferred shares (or preferred stock redeemable solely at the option of the issuer) permitted to be issued by an entity's charter and bylaws.

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Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

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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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The maximum number of shares (or other type of equity) originally approved (usually by shareholders and board of directors), net of any subsequent amendments and adjustments, for awards under the equity-based compensation plan. As stock or unit options and equity instruments other than options are awarded to participants, the shares or units remain authorized and become reserved for issuance under outstanding awards (not necessarily vested).

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The difference between the maximum number of shares (or other type of equity) authorized for issuance under the plan (including the effects of amendments and adjustments), and the sum of: 1) the number of shares (or other type of equity) already issued upon exercise of options or other equity-based awards under the plan; and 2) shares (or other type of equity) reserved for issuance on granting of outstanding awards, net of cancellations and forfeitures, if applicable.

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Net number of share options (or share units) granted during the period.

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Percentage of vesting of share-based compensation awards.

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Amount of stock repurchase plan authorized.

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Amount remaining of a stock repurchase plan authorized.

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Common Stock and Share-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		1 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
	Mar. 03, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Dividends paid (in dollars per share)	$ 0.07	$ 0.09	$ 0.09	$ 0.09	$ 0.07	$ 0.07
Quarterly dividends expected (in dollars per share)							$ 0.09
Annual dividends expected (in dollars per share)							$ 0.36
Cash dividends paid							$ (32,828,000)	$ (26,182,000)	$ (26,232,000)
Preferred stock, shares authorized							1,000,000
Common stock, shares authorized							250,000,000
Common stock, par value (dollars per share)							$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Authorized to repurchase common stock							$ 2,380,000,000.00
Shares available for issuance ( in shares)							11,600,000
Share-based compensation expense							$ 29,830,000	$ 16,377,000	12,276,000
Dean Foods Company Two Thousand Seven Stock Incentive Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option awarded (in shares)							1.67
Stock Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Cash received from stock option exercises							$ 2,200,000
Cash benefit for tax deductions realized for option exercises							500,000
Total unrecognized stock option expense							0
Share-based compensation expense							0	88,000	438,000
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Total unrecognized stock option expense							$ 8,200,000
Unrecognized compensation expense expected to be recognized period, years							10 months 21 days
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Employees
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period (in years)							3 years
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Non-Employee Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period (in years)							3 years
Restricted Stock \| Non-Employee Directors
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Percentage of fee value option to receive in restricted stock							150.00%
PSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period (in years)							3 years
Share-based compensation expense							$ 3,601,000	$ 0	$ 0
Phantom Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award vesting period (in years)							3 years
RSU and PSU \| CEO, Gregg A. Tanner
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based compensation expense							$ 6,000,000
Common Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Amount available for repurchase							$ 197,100,000
Minimum \| PSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting percentage							0.00%
Maximum \| PSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting percentage							200.00%
2016 Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Maximum stock options grants (in shares)							11,750,000