Lactaid Discontinues Half-and-Half

It was less than two years ago that I made a big deal about Lactaid introducing a lactose-free true milk version of Halk-and-Half.

Oops. In our tiny niche of the supermarket world, products come and products just as quickly go. The disappearances are made with far less fanfare than the appearances, of course.

In case you blinked, the news was made public on Lactaid's Facebook page:

Erika Onorato
Why was lactaid half and half discontinued! I loved being able to have half and Half in my coffee everyday! Will it ever be brought back?
March 21 at 10:26am ·

Lactaid
Erika, we're sorry we discontinued your favorite LACTAID® product. Unfortunately, it was a business decision we made. At our next brand meeting, we'll be sure to bring up that our loyal fans are asking for it. Thank you for taking the time to let us know.
March 21 at 12:11pm

Lactaid still has more lactose-free true milk products than anybody else, to be sure. If you want them to continue you need to buy them. Every time my wife and I go visit her mother we take her shopping - she uses a walker now but zips around the store using a grocery cart faster than we can keep up - and always gets a couple of quarts of Lactaid ice cream. Let's hope she can always find it.

81-Year-Old Founder of Lactaid Still a Dynamo

I finally met Alan Kligerman two years at the NIH State of the Science Conference on Lactose Intolerance. Kligerman is the founder of Lactaid and the man responsible for the current public awareness of lactose intolerance. (Almost to a fault. The other day I saw yet another supposedly authoritative source recommend that people get Lactaid pills rather than lactase pills to alieve the symptoms of lactose intolerance. If they're not careful, Lactaid will lose its trademark.) I called him a ball of fire in that earlier post and I meant it: he exuded more energy during that half-hour sitdown lunch than I do all day.

Kligerman sold Lactaid many years ago and his big second product, Beano, in 2001, but still runs his pharmaceutical firm AkPharma, and is committed to introducing new products to the market even after 61 years in the business. An article in the pressofAtlanticCity website, Made in South Jersey: Developer of Beano testing product to heal wounds faster by Kevin Post, gave some details.

Today AkPharma is focused on research and development, but still manufactures one product — Prelief, which when added to coffee takes the acid out of it and provides calcium, a nutrient coffee drinkers lose. ...

Kligerman, 81, sees the company’s future in potential medical uses for the active ingredient of Prelief. ... he suspected that the active ingredient — calcium glycerophosphate, or CGP — was doing more than just removing food acid.

Preliminary studies suggested it was having an effect on the bladder cell walls, he said, so he commissioned studies confirming the bladder effects and also showing promising benefits of applying the compound to skin. ...

The study was conducted on 20 patients who were getting both knees replaced, with the CGP preparation applied to the surgical incision on one knee and a preparation without CGP to the other. ...

A report on the trial, published this month in the Journal of Wound Care, said the treated knees showed less swelling and inflammation, particularly in the first two weeks when the incisions were closing. The overall assessment of CGP-treated wounds was significantly better.

“The results of this study demonstrate that topical CGP application might speed wound healing,” the report said. ...

Such product development is a long way from the original Kligerman Dairy founded in 1918 in Atlantic City.

“This is thrilling to a kid who would go into a store and if they put two quarts of Kligerman milk in the dairy case they were doing him the biggest favor in the world,” he said.

The company today also has a pet milk called CatSip, produced and packaged in a Western dairy and distributed from there and from the Egg Harbor Township plant. CatSip is a fortified milk that is digestible by adult cats and dogs, which can be lactose intolerant, he said.

Even after working for 61 years, Kligerman said he’s still fired up by the creative potential of what has become a research and development firm.

“I’m probably the only member of the family who had fun in the dairy business,” he said.

I'm thrilled that's he still part of the business and still striving to do good. I hope that both of us get to have fun doing this for another 61 years.

Lactaid Reintroduces Lactose-Free Yogurt

Why aren't there more lactose-free dairy products available in stores? Because you don't buy them.

You can't imagine how much I hate having to write that. But I've been watching store shelves for over 30 years. I've seen dozens of products come into the market - some with huge marketing campaigns - and then quietly disappear. They go away because they don't live up to sales expectations.

Will that ever change? I'm doubtful. For most people taking lactase pills or eating small amounts of dairy is completely sufficient. Those people with real need are the ones with allergies who have to avoid all dairy. Lactose-free won't work for them. Same for vegans. And lactose-free products have another strike against them. Low-selling products are always going to be more expensive than their equivalents. Lactose-free milks are finally available pretty much everywhere but they are always much more expensive than regular milks.

Yet companies keep trying. Why? I honestly don't know. No matter. It's a great thing for those of us who are always looking for more variations.

The biggest name in lactose-free products is Lactaid. Lactaid makes a more complete line of lactose-free true dairy products than anyone else. There's the milk in whole, 2%, 1%, and fat-free varieties, calcium-enriched in all four varieties, Fit & Creamy in low fat and nonfat, and chocolate, not to mention Egg Nog and Half and Half. They also make cottage cheese and five flavors of ice cream.

And now yogurt. They've made it in the past and it went away. But here it is again. Four flavors: vanilla, blueberry, peach, and strawberry. They're marketed in the standard 6 fl. oz. cup and a multipack of four 4 fl. oz. minicups.

Lactaid has a Product Locator so you can search by your zip code to see if it's sold close to you.

Will it survive? That's up to you.

Lactaid's New Lactose-Free Half-and-Half

Some true dairy products just can't be found in lactose-free form. Lactose-free dry milk powder is one. Lactose-free half-and-half used to be another.

Here comes the breaking news. Lactaid has just introduced a true dairy lactose-free half-and-half supermarket product. "LACTAID® Half & Half is the first lactose-free half & half made from 100% farm-fresh milk and cream, so you can enjoy the rich smoothness of real half & half in your coffee or tea."

What's the bad news? For now they are only available in New England and Upstate New York. Why? Other than how special and wonderful and deserving we are here in Upstate New York, I don't know.

The rest of you can start bugging your supermarket managers to get the product in as soon as it becomes available. Check Lactaid's half-and-half page for details.

Want more hot scoop?

There's also the new "LACTAID® Plastic Single Serve Milk [that]
is delicious 100% lactose-free milk with all of the vitamins and minerals of real milk in a handy, 12-ounce bottle." Available at universities and convenience stores.

Lactaid Changing Its Look

Lactaid sent me an email to announce that the design of its milk carton is about to change. Or may already have changed, if the tense in the announcement is to be trusted.

We've put our old look out to pasture, but the milk you love remains unchanged. It's still 100% lactose-free and 100% delicious, with all of the calcium and vitamin D of regular milk.

Check all the Lactaid products on their site.

Lactose-Free Egg Nog

Lactose-free egg nog is like lactose-free everything else. You start with lactose-free milk and then proceed as per usual. All the Dairy-Free Egg Nog recipes I linked to yesterday are also lactose-free, of course, but won't have any milk in them at all.

These recipes, therefore, are just for the lactose intolerant, not the milk allergic or vegans.

The Sneaky Kitchen has a recipe that starts with regular Lactaid brand lactose-free milk, but you can use any brand of lactose-free milk in it.



Lactaid does have a premade Eggnog of its own that it rolls out during the holiday season. The Lactaid site also has a EggNog Cinnamon French Toast recipe that starts with its Eggnog. (Why the capital N in the recipe title when there isn't one in the drink? Copyeditors are expensive.)

Dietitian Sylvia Melendez-Klinger Spanish Video on a Lactose-Free Holiday

Lactaid, which has pitched its lactose-free milks to the African-Americana and Latino communities regularly in the past, has a new pitch to the Spanish-speaking segment of the market.

In a press release that appears in both English and Spanish versions, Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer as well as founder of Hispanic Food Communications, gives tips for a high-calcium, lactose-free holiday season in a Spanish-language video.



Some tips in English:

•Include dark leafy greens such as kale and mustard, collard, broccoli and turnip greens or beans into your favorite, traditional dishes. These foods are not only good sources of calcium, but also low in fat.

•To boost your calcium intake, use canned fish such as salmon, in festive salads or pastas.

Lactaid Reaches Out to Minority Women

Lactose tolerance is a mutation that is shared mostly by people of European descent. In multicultural America, that means that minority populations - blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Indians, and others - have a much higher percentage of lactose intolerance.

Lactaid, the makers of lactose-free milks and other dairy products, has an annual promotion aimed at these populations. In 2007, they used Hispanic actress Angelica Vale. In 2008 they turned to African-American celebrity chef and restaurateur Delilah Winder.

This year they've teamed Hispanic registered dietitian and certified personal trainer Sylvia Klinger with Winder, reaching out to both target audiences. From the press release:

A new Lactose Intolerance in Multicultural Communities Survey found that 78 percent of African American women reduce the amount of milk or dairy in their diet as a way to manage their lactose intolerance. Yet, 48 percent of African American women who have lactose intolerance worry the condition keeps them from consuming important nutrients, such as calcium and vitamins A and D. Despite their concerns, only 16 percent have talked to a health care professional about lactose intolerance.

The study found that half of African American women are unsure about what foods are safe to eat without triggering symptoms and 11 percent remove dairy from their diet completely as a way to control their lactose intolerance. This is concerning as dairy foods and beverages contain key essential nutrients that are important for a healthy lifestyle.

To help educate women about lactose intolerance, the LACTAID(R) Brand has partnered with Delilah Winder, celebrity chef, author and restaurant owner, and nutritionist Sylvia Melendez-Klinger, to share recipes and tips for eating healthy and enjoying dairy again. In fact, lactose intolerance is easy to manage, without forgoing milk and the dairy products.

MORE ABOUT DELILAH WINDER
Delilah Winder is a celebrity chef, restaurant owner and cookbook author who has a passion for food and entertaining. In 2000, she opened Bluezette in old city Philadelphia - an elegant restaurant that uniquely reflects her Southern heritage. In the fall of 2006, Chef Winder continued to develop her professional career by publishing her favorite southern recipes in Delilah's Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking With Style cookbook. Containing a foreword by author and personal chef of Oprah Winfrey, Art Smith, the book includes many of the recipes that have made Delilah a favorite chef of celebrities such as Patti LaBelle, Denzel Washington, Danny Glover, and Tavis Smiley. Included among the more than 100 recipes in the book is the recipe for her nationally acclaimed macaroni and cheese, as voted the best macaroni and cheese recipe by the Oprah Winfrey Show.

MORE ABOUT SYLVIA KLINGER
Sylvia Klinger, registered dietitian and certified personal trainer, is founder of Hispanic Food Communications, Hinsdale, IL a food communications and culinary consulting company. Mrs. Klinger has appeared on NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN Spanish, Univision, Telemundo, America Teve, TV Azteca, Telefutura. Many guest appearances in popular shows such as Despierta America and Hispanics Today, where she is a regular guest, and numerous Hispanic cable stations to name a few. She has been a guest nutritionist on numerous local Hispanic radio talk shows and numerous popular publications such as Latina Magazine, Siempre Mujer, Vanidades, Latino Social and Hispanic Business South Florida to name a few.

Lactaid Funds Scholarship

Many if not most major businesses support charities, do community work, or lend their names to events. Many if not most businesses in the specialty food world, though, are so small that they either can't afford to do much of this work or don't do enough of it to make the news.

A college scholarship funded by Lactaid made me sit up and take notice.

The story, as reported in the Leesville, LA, Daily Leader, featured The Scholarships for Military Children Program, specifically one awarded to Shelby Iles.

Applicants for the 2009 program were required to maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average, participate in voluntary school and community activities, demonstrate leadership qualities, and write an essay on "What would you place in a time capsule to help people opening the capsule in the next century understand military life today. Explain you [sic] choices."

Let's assume Iles' essay was better proofread than the article.

The $1,500 college scholarship was awarded at the Fort Polk Commissary, one of 257 commissaries operated worldwide by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).

And

Manufacturers and organizations that do business with the commissary system funded the scholarships with money ordinarily used for various other contests and promotions. Shelby’s scholarship at Fort Polk was funded through the generosity of Lactaid.

It's good to know that the commissary system recognizes lactose intolerance by doing business with Lactaid. And it's heartening to read that Lactaid gives a bit of it back to the community, in a fine form.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

CVS Accused of Selling Expired Lactaid

A Houston television station has reported that the CVS pharmacy chain, the largest retail drug store chain in the country with almost 7000 stores, was selling products as much as three years past their expiration date.

An organization created by a coalition of labor unions, Change to Win, did a survey of 34 Houston area CVS stores that:

revealed that 90 percent of the stores visited were selling everything from expired dairy products and infant formula to over the counter meds for adults and children.

"That's the highest rate we've seen out of anywhere in the country," said [Garrett O’Connor of Change to Win].

He says the products expired anywhere from a few months ago to a few years. He cited a particular drug called Lactaid.

"They don’t even make this box any more. It expired November of 2005 and it was purchased in April of 2009," said O’Connor.

The television station revisited three of the stores and found that expired products were still on the shelves.

Expired Lactaid would not be dangerous but would likely lose its potency and effectiveness.

This is a reminder to always check the expiration date of any over-the-counter medication before you buy it.

Lactaid Free Sample

I get it when a company decides to cross-promote its products. That makes sense.

Usually.

Benecol Spread is a functional food, one that adds plane sterol esters to reduce cholesterol. I mean, how many other butter substitutes are made by multinational pharmaceutical firms, in this case McNeil Nutritionals.

You know what else is made by McNeil Nutritionals? Lactaid. And Benecol is running a promotion in which you can get a free sample of Lactaid just by filling in the request form on that page.

But the weird thing for me is that Benecol is a lactose-free spread. Check this page.

• Zero Carbs
• No Trans Fat
• Lactose-Free
• Gluten-Free
• Kosher

OK, if you're avoiding lactose you may look for Benecol. Or if you trying for health you'll take Lactaid. Or something like that. It all makes perfect sense.

I'll stop making fun of them now. McNeil is one of the good guys. Lots of products aimed at us. Just remember that you don't need to take Lactaid when you have Benecol.

McNeil Nutritonals.

Lactaid's 25th (and 35th) Anniversaries

When I first learned I was lactose intolerant, in 1978, I had never heard the words before. Didn't know what lactose was. Milk, well, milk was supposed to sooth the stomach. The concept made no sense.

No books were available on lactose intolerance. Almost no articles could be dug up at the library. No web, of course. I poked here and there, doing my own research.

Who doesn't know about lactose intolerance (LI) today? The phrase is a standing joke. Just mention milk and somebody will throw out a reference to LI. People think they're LI even if they're not. Consume any dairy product, suffer any digestive complaint? Boom, you're LI. See lactones on a label? Lactylates? Lactates? Lactic acid? Lactacystin? Must cause lactose intolerance. Not one of them contain any lactose, and not one of them would have been noticeable or comprehensible on a label in 1978, but today the connection is automatic. Amazing.

There were no specialty foods aimed at the lactose intolerant in 1978. What few diary alternatives existed were created for the kosher market, as a way to get around the prohibition of eating milk with meat. Today, the corner supermarket will have shelves full of milk-alternatives of all types, varieties, and bases. Some are from international food conglomerates; many are made by small firms struggling to find a niche for their products.

That's one major reason I maintain this blog, to help readers find the complete range of products and services available if you want to reduce or eliminate dairy in your life. I'm constantly passing along press releases about new foods, new companies, new cookbooks, new ways of dealing with the issue.

And by concentrating on the new, I suddenly realized how little attention I've given to the one constant in the LI world, the one that made lactose intolerance as well known as it's become, the one that everybody knows so well it's become almost the generic word. Lactaid.

I have in front of me a copy of a January 1984 news clipping announcing the introduction of LactAid brand lactose-reduced milk to Rochester. Yes, with a capital "A" in the middle. LactAid wasn't new even then. It had been introduced late in 1979. (Four years to get to Rochester. You'd think LactAid was high fashion.) New to Rochester meant new to me. No web, remember.

A quart of LactAid cost 89 cents in Wegman's then, which made it "roughly 20 to 30 cents higher than regular milk." In today's shopping trip I checked current prices. Fat-free regular milk cost 76 cents. Fat-free Lactaid was up to $2.19. We're still very much a niche market, and we continue to pay that price.

LactAid the firm had been around for a decade by then, although I didn't know that either. It's first product was a lactase powder that could be mixed with milk to remove most of the lactase. Alan Kligerman, the inventor of Sugar-Lo, an ice cream for diabetics and later Beano, introduced Lact-Aid powder in 1974, making this year Lactaid's 35th anniversary. Lactaid finally got its lactase pills on shelves in 1985.

In 1990 Dairy Ease, made by a division of a pharmaceutical giant, emerged as a competitor with its own line of milk and lactase. That energized Lactaid, which had been taken over by McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of the equally gigantic Johnson & Johnson corporation. The two companies staged massive competing promotional campaigns in 1993. They have to be among the most successful ad campaigns in history. Lactose intolerance became a household word.

Lactaid eventually won out over Dairy Ease, which no longer makes lactase and whose milk is distributed by Land O'Lakes but is much harder to find. In fact, Lactaid has no real competitors in the LI market. It just keeps rolling along. While I've mentioned Lactaid products and promotions a few times in this blog, there's never been a reason for me to do a big intro to the firm. But anniversaries count, even if they're only meaningful to me.

The company's website, lactaid.com, unfortunately requires Adobe Flash Player to see all the contents, an annoyance that is increasingly common and worthwhile only to the graphics types in the marketing department, not actual consumers.

The products are only accessible through a lot of mousing and clicking, so I'll summarize them here:

Milk: fat free, low fat (1%), reduced fat (2%), whole, chocolate low fat (1%); all except the chocolate also available calcium-fortified
Organic Milk: fat free, reduced fat (2%)
Dietary Supplements [lactase]: original, fast act caplets, fast act chewables
Ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, cookies & cream, strawberries & cream, butter pecan
Cottage Cheese: low fat
Eggnog: Christmas holiday season availability only
Evaporated Milk: available only in Puerto Rico

None of the products are truly national. The Fast Act lactase is available in the largest number of states, but many of the products can be found in fewer than a half dozen.

That's too bad, but at least the lactase caplets and chewables are available online from anywhere in the country from such dealers as Amazon.

So happy 35th anniversary, Lactaid. Hope you stick around for another 35 years.