Basis of Presentation and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Our Business	Nature of Our Business — We are a leading food and beverage company and the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fresh fluid milk and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States, with a vision to be the most admired and trusted provider of wholesome, great-tasting dairy products at every occasion.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation — The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for interim financial information as well as instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, we have reflected all material adjustments of a normal and recurring nature necessary for the fair presentation of the results for the periods presented. For further information, refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements and footnotes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. Unless otherwise indicated, references in this report to “we,” “us,” “our” or "the Company" refer to Dean Foods Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and Accounting Standards Issued - Not Yet Adopted	Recently Adopted Accounting Standards ASU No. 2016-02 — We adopted ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (the New Lease Standard) as of January 1, 2019. The New Lease Standard requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use (ROU) asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for operating leases. Accounting for finance leases is substantially unchanged. We adopted the New Lease Standard using the comparative reporting at adoption method. Under this method, financial results reported in periods prior to January 1, 2019 are unchanged. We also elected the package of practical expedients which among other things, does not require reassessment of lease classification. We have implemented processes and a lease accounting system to ensure adequate internal controls are in place to assess our contracts and enable proper accounting and reporting of financial information. The adoption of this standard had a significant impact to our condensed consolidated balance sheet due to the recognition of approximately $358 million of operating lease liabilities with corresponding operating lease ROU assets as of January 1, 2019. We do not expect it to have a significant impact to our condensed consolidated statement of operations or condensed consolidated statement of cash flows in the periods after adoption. See Note 6 for further discussion. Accounting Standards Issued - Not Yet Adopted Effective in 2020 ASU No. 2018-13 — The FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) in August 2018 to modify disclosure requirements related to fair value measurement. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Implementation on a prospective or retrospective basis varies by specific disclosure requirement. The effects of this standard on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows are not expected to be material. ASU No. 2018-15 —The FASB also issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) in August 2018. The new guidance reduces complexity for the accounting for costs of implementing a cloud computing service arrangement and aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license). For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Implementation should be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. The effects of this standard on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows are not expected to be material. Effective in 2021 ASU No. 2018-14 — The FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Subtopic 715-20) in August 2018. The new guidance modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and is to be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods presented. The effects of this standard on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows are not expected to be material.
Asset Impairment Charges	Asset Impairment Charges We evaluate our finite-lived intangible and long-lived assets for impairment when circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Indicators of impairment could include, among other factors, significant changes in the business environment, the planned closure of a facility, or deteriorations in operating cash flows. Considerable management judgment is necessary to evaluate the impact of operating changes and to estimate future cash flows. Testing the assets for recoverability involves developing estimates of future cash flows directly associated with, and that are expected to arise as a direct result of, the use and eventual disposition of the assets. Other inputs are based on assessment of an individual asset’s alternative use within other production facilities, evaluation of recent market data and historical liquidation sales values for similar assets. As the inputs for testing recoverability are largely based on management’s judgments and are not generally observable in active markets, we consider such measurements to be Level 3 measurements in the fair value hierarchy. See Note 8.