Initial Public Offering of The WhiteWave Foods Company and Proposed Spin-Off or Other Disposition (WhiteWave Foods [Member])	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
WhiteWave Foods [Member]
Initial Public Offering of The WhiteWave Foods Company and Proposed Spin-Off or Other Disposition	2. Initial Public Offering of The WhiteWave Foods Company and Proposed Spin-Off or Other Disposition On October 31, 2012, WhiteWave completed the WhiteWave IPO, and sold 23 million shares of its Class A common stock at a price to the public of $17 per share. The underwriters for the WhiteWave IPO have an option to purchase an additional 3.45 million shares of Class A common stock of WhiteWave at a price to the public of $17 per share on or before November 24, 2012. Prior to completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we contributed the capital stock of WWF Operating Company (“WWF Opco”), another wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that held substantially all of the assets and liabilities associated with our WhiteWave-Alpro segment, to WhiteWave in exchange for 150 million shares of Class B common stock of WhiteWave. WhiteWave contributed $282 million of the net proceeds from the WhiteWave IPO to WWF Opco, which used those proceeds, together with substantially all of the net proceeds of the initial borrowings described below, to repay then-outstanding obligations under intercompany notes owed to Dean Foods. Dean Foods subsequently utilized these proceeds to prepay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under its senior secured credit facility. See Note 7. The remaining net proceeds of approximately $85.5 million were used, and any net proceeds that may be received from the future exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option will be used, to repay indebtedness under WhiteWave’s senior secured credit facility, which is described below. Upon completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we owned no shares of WhiteWave Class A common stock and 150 million shares of WhiteWave’s Class B common stock, which represents 100% of the outstanding shares of WhiteWave’s Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of the shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share, and each share of class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share, subject to reduction in accordance with the terms of WhiteWave’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, on all matters presented to WhiteWave stockholders. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible into one share of Class A common stock at any time at our election and automatically in certain circumstances. Upon completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we owned an 86.7% economic interest, and a 98.5% voting interest, in WhiteWave. We have announced our intention to effect a tax-free spin-off or other tax-free disposition of all or a portion of our remaining ownership interest in WhiteWave to our stockholders as soon as practicable but no earlier than the expiration or waiver of the 180-day lock-up period under the WhiteWave IPO underwriting agreement, which will expire on April 23, 2013. Any such distribution would be subject to various conditions, including the receipt of any necessary regulatory or other approvals, the existence of satisfactory market conditions and-in the case of a spin-off or other tax-free disposition, our receipt of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and/or an opinion of counsel that our contribution of WWF Opco to WhiteWave, and such tax-free spin-off or other disposition, taken together, would be tax free to us and our stockholders. There can be no assurance as to when the proposed spin-off or other disposition will be completed, if at all. Unless and until a spin-off or other disposition transaction occurs after which we cease to own a controlling financial interest in WhiteWave, we will consolidate WhiteWave for financial reporting purposes, with a non-controlling interest adjustment for the 13.3% economic interest in WhiteWave that we do not own. Additionally, on October 12, 2012, WhiteWave entered into a $1.35 billion senior secured credit facility, and on October 31, 2012, WhiteWave incurred approximately $885 million in new indebtedness under this facility. WhiteWave contributed substantially all of the initial net proceeds of this borrowing to WWF Opco and caused WWF Opco to use those net proceeds to prepay WhiteWave’s obligations under then-outstanding intercompany notes owed to Dean Foods. Dean Foods used these funds to prepay a portion of the debt outstanding-under its senior secured credit facilities. See Note 7. In connection with the WhiteWave IPO, we entered into various agreements relating to the separation of the WhiteWave business from the rest of Dean Foods’ businesses, including, a separation and distribution agreement, a transition services agreement, a tax matters agreement, a registration rights agreement, an employee matters agreement and several commercial agreements. Additionally, in connection with the WhiteWave IPO, WhiteWave and its wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries were released from their obligations as guarantors for Dean Foods’ senior secured credit facilities (and designated as unrestricted subsidiaries thereunder) and Dean Foods’ senior notes due 2016 and 2018, and Dean Foods has been released from its guarantee of Alpro’s revolving credit facility. See Note 7. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, we incurred approximately $8 million and $12 million in transaction costs associated with the WhiteWave IPO and the related business separation, which were expensed as incurred.

2. Initial Public Offering of The WhiteWave Foods Company and Proposed Spin-Off or Other Disposition

On October 31, 2012, WhiteWave completed the WhiteWave IPO, and sold 23 million shares of its Class A common stock at a price to the public of $17 per share. The underwriters for the WhiteWave IPO have an option to purchase an additional 3.45 million shares of Class A common stock of WhiteWave at a price to the public of $17 per share on or before November 24, 2012. Prior to completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we contributed the capital stock of WWF Operating Company (“WWF Opco”), another wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that held substantially all of the assets and liabilities associated with our WhiteWave-Alpro segment, to WhiteWave in exchange for 150 million shares of Class B common stock of WhiteWave.

WhiteWave contributed $282 million of the net proceeds from the WhiteWave IPO to WWF Opco, which used those proceeds, together with substantially all of the net proceeds of the initial borrowings described below, to repay then-outstanding obligations under intercompany notes owed to Dean Foods. Dean Foods subsequently utilized these proceeds to prepay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under its senior secured credit facility. See Note 7. The remaining net proceeds of approximately $85.5 million were used, and any net proceeds that may be received from the future exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option will be used, to repay indebtedness under WhiteWave’s senior secured credit facility, which is described below.

Upon completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we owned no shares of WhiteWave Class A common stock and 150 million shares of WhiteWave’s Class B common stock, which represents 100% of the outstanding shares of WhiteWave’s Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of the shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share, and each share of class B common stock is entitled to ten votes per share, subject to reduction in accordance with the terms of WhiteWave’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, on all matters presented to WhiteWave stockholders. Each share of Class B common stock is convertible into one share of Class A common stock at any time at our election and automatically in certain circumstances.

Upon completion of the WhiteWave IPO, we owned an 86.7% economic interest, and a 98.5% voting interest, in WhiteWave. We have announced our intention to effect a tax-free spin-off or other tax-free disposition of all or a portion of our remaining ownership interest in WhiteWave to our stockholders as soon as practicable but no earlier than the expiration or waiver of the 180-day lock-up period under the WhiteWave IPO underwriting agreement, which will expire on April 23, 2013. Any such distribution would be subject to various conditions, including the receipt of any necessary regulatory or other approvals, the existence of satisfactory market conditions and-in the case of a spin-off or other tax-free disposition, our receipt of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and/or an opinion of counsel that our contribution of WWF Opco to WhiteWave, and such tax-free spin-off or other disposition, taken together, would be tax free to us and our stockholders. There can be no assurance as to when the proposed spin-off or other disposition will be completed, if at all. Unless and until a spin-off or other disposition transaction occurs after which we cease to own a controlling financial interest in WhiteWave, we will consolidate WhiteWave for financial reporting purposes, with a non-controlling interest adjustment for the 13.3% economic interest in WhiteWave that we do not own.

Additionally, on October 12, 2012, WhiteWave entered into a $1.35 billion senior secured credit facility, and on October 31, 2012, WhiteWave incurred approximately $885 million in new indebtedness under this facility. WhiteWave contributed substantially all of the initial net proceeds of this borrowing to WWF Opco and caused WWF Opco to use those net proceeds to prepay WhiteWave’s obligations under then-outstanding intercompany notes owed to Dean Foods. Dean Foods used these funds to prepay a portion of the debt outstanding-under its senior secured credit facilities. See Note 7.

In connection with the WhiteWave IPO, we entered into various agreements relating to the separation of the WhiteWave business from the rest of Dean Foods’ businesses, including, a separation and distribution agreement, a transition services agreement, a tax matters agreement, a registration rights agreement, an employee matters agreement and several commercial agreements. Additionally, in connection with the WhiteWave IPO, WhiteWave and its wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries were released from their obligations as guarantors for Dean Foods’ senior secured credit facilities (and designated as unrestricted subsidiaries thereunder) and Dean Foods’ senior notes due 2016 and 2018, and Dean Foods has been released from its guarantee of Alpro’s revolving credit facility. See Note 7.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, we incurred approximately $8 million and $12 million in transaction costs associated with the WhiteWave IPO and the related business separation, which were expensed as incurred.