Debt (Consolidating Balance Sheet) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2008
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 114,851	$ 92,007	$ 45,190	$ 31,656
Receivables, net	946,109	891,019
Income tax receivable	24,960	71,337
Inventories	452,150	425,576
Other current assets	175,070	219,163
Assets held for sale	3,182	117,114
Total current assets	1,716,322	1,816,216
Property, plant and equipment, net	2,114,380	2,113,391
Goodwill	1,155,271	3,179,192	3,272,814
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net	768,390	847,868
Total	5,754,363	7,956,667	7,843,941
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	1,232,165	1,232,876
Current portion of debt	202,539	174,250
Intercompany note payable		3,839
Current portion of litigation settlements	60,838	30,000
Total current liabilities	1,495,542	1,440,965
Long-term debt	3,563,389	3,893,275
Other long-term liabilities	721,083	1,108,359
Long-term litigation settlements	73,000
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)	(103,398)	1,499,525
Non-controlling interest	4,747	14,543
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	(98,651)	1,514,068	1,367,232	558,234
Total	5,754,363	7,956,667
Dean Foods Company [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	3,061	307
Receivables, net	104
Income tax receivable	24,934
Other current assets	44,779
Total current assets	72,878
Property, plant and equipment, net	413
Goodwill	0
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net	69,904
Investment in subsidiaries	7,738,221
Total	7,881,416
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	148,543
Intercompany payables	4,245,143
Current portion of debt	202,012
Current portion of litigation settlements	60,838
Total current liabilities	4,656,536
Long-term debt	3,174,107
Other long-term liabilities	81,171
Long-term litigation settlements	73,000
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)	(103,398)
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	(103,398)
Total	7,881,416
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	6,221	9,750
Receivables, net	61,156
Inventories	426,126
Intercompany receivables	4,821,647
Intercompany note receivable	125,000
Other current assets	117,952
Total current assets	5,558,102
Property, plant and equipment, net	1,931,787
Goodwill	993,250
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net	587,442
Investment in subsidiaries	356,983
Total	9,427,564
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	1,012,736
Current portion of debt	259
Total current liabilities	1,012,995
Long-term debt	129,282
Other long-term liabilities	547,066
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)	7,738,221
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	7,738,221
Total	9,427,564
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	105,569	81,950
Receivables, net	884,849
Income tax receivable	26
Inventories	26,024
Other current assets	12,339
Assets held for sale	3,182
Total current assets	1,031,989
Property, plant and equipment, net	182,180
Goodwill	162,021
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net	111,044
Total	1,487,234
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	70,886
Intercompany payables	576,504
Current portion of debt	268
Intercompany note payable	125,000
Total current liabilities	772,658
Long-term debt	260,000
Other long-term liabilities	92,846
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)	356,983
Non-controlling interest	4,747
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	361,730
Total	1,487,234
Eliminations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Intercompany receivables	(4,821,647)
Intercompany note receivable	(125,000)
Total current assets	(4,946,647)
Investment in subsidiaries	(8,095,204)
Total	(13,041,851)
Intercompany payables	(4,821,647)
Intercompany note payable	(125,000)
Total current liabilities	(4,946,647)
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)	(8,095,204)
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	(8,095,204)
Total	(13,041,851)
As Previously Reported [Member] | Dean Foods Company [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		307	9,665	9,391
Receivables, net		353
Income tax receivable		71,173
Intercompany receivables		193,051
Other current assets		105,345
Total current assets		370,229
Property, plant and equipment, net		222
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		88,135
Investment in subsidiaries		9,335,787
Total		9,794,373
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		138,869
Intercompany payables		3,568,750
Current portion of debt		167,540
Current portion of litigation settlements		30,000
Total current liabilities		3,905,159
Long-term debt		3,764,754
Other long-term liabilities		624,935
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,499,525
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,499,525
Total		9,794,373
As Previously Reported [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		9,750		13,552
Receivables, net		33,941
Inventories		394,862
Intercompany receivables		4,211,670
Other current assets		96,967
Assets held for sale		117,114
Total current assets		4,864,304
Property, plant and equipment, net		1,900,192
Goodwill		3,013,516
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		616,435
Total		10,394,447
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		1,014,819
Intercompany payables		21,586
Current portion of debt		6,454
Intercompany note payable		3,839
Total current liabilities		1,046,698
Long-term debt		127,892
Other long-term liabilities		379,017
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		8,840,840
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		8,840,840
Total		10,394,447
As Previously Reported [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		81,950	35,525	8,713
Receivables, net		856,725
Income tax receivable		164
Inventories		30,714
Intercompany receivables		13,924
Other current assets		16,851
Total current assets		1,000,328
Property, plant and equipment, net		212,977
Goodwill		165,676
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		143,298
Total		1,522,279
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		79,188
Intercompany payables		828,309
Current portion of debt		256
Total current liabilities		907,753
Long-term debt		629
Other long-term liabilities		104,407
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		494,947
Non-controlling interest		14,543
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		509,490
Total		1,522,279
As Previously Reported [Member] | Eliminations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Intercompany receivables		(4,418,645)
Total current assets		(4,418,645)
Investment in subsidiaries		(9,335,787)
Total		(13,754,432)
Intercompany payables		(4,418,645)
Total current liabilities		(4,418,645)
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		(9,335,787)
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		(9,335,787)
Total		(13,754,432)
As Restated [Member] | Dean Foods Company [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		307	9,665	9,391
Receivables, net		353
Income tax receivable		71,173
Intercompany receivables		193,051
Other current assets		25,850
Total current assets		290,734
Property, plant and equipment, net		222
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		88,135
Investment in subsidiaries		9,335,787
Total		9,714,878
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		135,685
Intercompany payables		4,060,029
Current portion of debt		167,540
Current portion of litigation settlements		30,000
Total current liabilities		4,393,254
Long-term debt		3,764,754
Other long-term liabilities		57,345
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,499,525
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,499,525
Total		9,714,878
As Restated [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		9,750		13,552
Receivables, net		33,941
Inventories		394,862
Intercompany receivables		4,677,374
Other current assets		176,407
Assets held for sale		117,114
Total current assets		5,409,448
Property, plant and equipment, net		1,900,192
Goodwill		3,013,516
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		616,435
Investment in subsidiaries		494,947
Total		11,434,538
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		1,018,003
Intercompany payables		21,586
Current portion of debt		6,454
Intercompany note payable		3,839
Total current liabilities		1,049,882
Long-term debt		127,892
Other long-term liabilities		920,977
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		9,335,787
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		9,335,787
Total		11,434,538
As Restated [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		81,950	35,525	8,713
Receivables, net		856,725
Income tax receivable		164
Inventories		30,714
Intercompany receivables		13,924
Other current assets		16,906
Total current assets		1,000,383
Property, plant and equipment, net		212,977
Goodwill		165,676
Identifiable intangible and other assets, net		143,298
Total		1,522,334
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		79,188
Intercompany payables		802,734
Current portion of debt		256
Total current liabilities		882,178
Long-term debt		629
Other long-term liabilities		130,037
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		494,947
Non-controlling interest		14,543
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		509,490
Total		1,522,334
As Restated [Member] | Eliminations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Intercompany receivables		(4,884,349)
Total current assets		(4,884,349)
Investment in subsidiaries		(9,830,734)
Total		(14,715,083)
Intercompany payables		(4,884,349)
Total current liabilities		(4,884,349)
Dean Foods Company stockholders' equity (deficit)		(9,830,734)
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)		(9,830,734)
Total		$ (14,715,083)