Sampling apparatus for taking a representative foodstuff sample and method for taking representative foodstuff samples. In one aspect, the invention provides a sampling apparatus (100) for taking a representative milk sample in a prescribed quantity range from a conveying line (10) in which milk is conveyed in conveying intervals of unknown length. The sampling apparatus (100) comprises a pump (108), a controller (109) of the pump (108) and a sample container connecting element connected to the pump (108), wherein the controller (109) is configured to take the prescribed quantity range and a measured variable denoting a flow rate of the milk conveyed in the conveying line (10) and/or a prescribed variable denoting a total quantity of milk to be conveyed by the conveying line (10) in a conveying interval as a basis for controlling a pulsed mode of the pump (108) in a conveying interval, wherein the pump (108) conveys a discrete sample subquantity along a first conveying direction (122) of the pump (108) in a respective sample pulse interval during the pulsed mode, and wherein the prescribed quantity range is greater than or equal to a total quantity corresponding to a total number of discrete sample subquantities in the conveying interval.
