Coke's New Milk Is Lactose Free

I haven't been back to this blog in a very long time, which means I have to apologize to all those commenters who got hung up by my needing to approve comments.

One big reason I stopped posting here was that nothing was left to be said. After 1500 posts, I found I was repeating myself. That's not fun.

So if I'm back, there must be big news. I mean, really BIG news in the lactose free world.

What could possibly be bigger than the biggest soft drink company in the world rolling out a line of lactose-free milks?

Here's the brief version, as given by Christopher Seward on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Biz Beat Blog:

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. has the largest-selling soft drink brand around the globe and now it’s “got milk.”

Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America, recently said at a Morgan Stanley Global Consumer Conference that Coca-Cola will roll out a no-lactose milk product that will be in stores in late December.

Douglas called Fairlife, the name of the new product, “the premiumization of milk.” According to a transcript of his appearance, the executive said the product tastes better than regular milk and is better for you due to “a proprietary milk filtering process that allows you to increase protein by 50 percent take sugar down by 30 percent and have no lactose.”

But Fairlife won’t be cheap. “[We’ll] charge twice as much for it as the milk we used to buying in a jug,” Douglas said, according to Seeking Alpha transcript of his remarks. A price was not provided.

Coca-Cola has been investing more in non-carbonated beverages such as juices and teas, given a decline in soda sales not only for the company for also for its competitors, especially in North America as health-conscious consumers seek out more nutritious alternatives.

Fairlife is a Chicago company that also makes Core Power lactose-free protein drinks and has partnered with Pinkberry on yogurt development.

They have a long section of FAQs on this new milk.

Is fairlife purely nutritious milk™ real milk?

Absolutely!  It’s 100% real with amazing taste and better nutrition because of our nifty filtration process. Watch our short video to see how it’s done!

Where does the extra protein and calcium come from in fairlife purely nutritious milk™?

It comes directly from the milk!  We filter our milk into its five components (water, butterfat, protein, vitamins & minerals, lactose) and then recombine them in different proportions.  So we never need to add protein or calcium powders – it’s already in the milk!

Is fairlife purely nutritious milk™ natural?

Our skim and 2% milks are natural, but our chocolate milk is sweetened for your pleasure.

Is fairlife purely nutritious milk™ organic?

Just like organic milk, we never treat our cows with rBST growth hormones. However, we offer them 24/7 shelter and protection from the elements, while organic milk cows aren’t able to have the same luxury. Visit our flagship farm to see our industry-leading sustainability and cow comfort in practice.

Is fairlife purely nutritious milk™ safe for kids?

Sure!  After all, it’s real milk. It has as much protein as a typical greek yogurt, with 50% more calcium and half the sugar of ordinary milk. It’s a nutritious part of a daily diet for all ages.

Why does fairlife purely nutritious milk™ have a longer shelf life than ordinary milk?

It’s simply in the processing.  Ordinary milk is pasteurized at a high temperature for 15-20 seconds.  We pasteurize our milk at an even higher temperature for less time.  That gives fairlife much longer shelf life unopened.  After opening, its shelf life is the same as ordinary milk.

Where are the fairlife farms?

We source our milk from the farm families that founded fairlife. These farms are located all over the country, with our flagship farm in Fair Oaks, Indiana, open to visitors year-round. Come see us!

Why is fairlife purely nutritious milk™ lactose-free and does it taste different?

Some people find that lactose (the natural sugar found in milk) upsets their stomachs, so we take it out so everyone can enjoy fairlife. You won’t be able to taste the difference (unlike other lactose-free milks).

Is fairlife packaging recyclable?

Yes, our bottles are #7 recyclable. To find out how to recycle your plastic locally, go to earth911.com, click on ‘recycling search’, select the ‘plastic’ icon, select #7 plastic bottles and input your zip code.

The national announcement and rollout brought sudden attention to the advertising campaign they ran in test markets in the spring. Fairlife used images from a pin-up girls calendar of models apparently wearing dresses made from milk, a campaign introduced last year by AurumLight.com from photographer Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz. Multitudes online blasted for the campaign for being sexist, which of course it was, and wondering what pin-up girls wearing milk dresses have to do with selling a new premium milk, which of course is an easily answerable question. Coke is of course not using the already expired campaign.

There are other and better places to vent outrage. What you need to know is whether the actual product is worthy or not. Molly Blake on the Today show website  talked to registered dietitian Michelle Dudash:

“It has a lot of really good qualities,” said Dudash, author of “Clean Eating for Busy Families.” The beverage boasts it contains 50 percent more natural protein and 30 percent more natural calcium than regular milk, as well as 50 percent less sugar.

And it’s lactose free,” added Dudash, an obvious boon to the millions of Americans who suffer from an intolerance to lactose and can't enjoy some of the health benefits that regular milk has been shown to have.

A diet that includes 8 oz. of milk a day is associated with healthy bones and teeth among other health benefits. A study by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst found that women can lower their risk of PMS by drinking either skim or low-fat milk all month long.

But sales of milk have been flattening out since the 1970’s and half of US adults don’t drink milk. One reason is that milk is perceived to be fattening and sugar-filled.

“Milk isn’t the enemy when it comes to sugar,” said Dudash. “But for diabetics and anyone who is really watching their carbohydrate intake closely, the 6 grams of difference between regular milk and Fairlife can be significant.”

The added protein and calcium also make Fairlife attractive, as it’s essential to have a diet that includes protein from a variety of sources including lean meats, nuts, seeds and milk.

“Fairlife, therefore, can be a good item to add to your protein portfolio,” said Dudash.

Lactose free milk has been available at every major supermarket for years, if not decades. It's normally far more expensive than regular milk mostly because it is made in tiny quantities and so doesn't enjoy the economy of scale that allows regular milk to be sold so cheaply. Fairlife won't change this. It's being billed as "premium" milk, so it may be even more expensive than easily available alternatives. Pricing hasn't been made public yet. The extra protein is a nice selling point, but not a game-changer.

What changes everything is Coke's marketing power. You'll be borbarded with ads about fairlife (small-f) until milk will run out of your eyes and ears. Bad thing? Nope. That's the only way to build awareness in today's world. (And yesterday's, for that matter. Coke figured it out a century ago.) Let's wait and see what happens when it's in every store.

Better Tasting Lactose-Free Milk Coming?

"The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades."*

More news about better products maybe possibly hopefully some day coming to a supermarket near you.

To talk about the future, you know I'm going to start with the past and work my way there slowly. Feel free to skip a few paragraphs.

Lactase supplements were invented in 1964 by a Dutch company then known as Gist-Brocades. Happy 50th lactase! I don't know what market they were aiming for, since hardly anybody outside of a tiny community of researchers knew about the existence of lactose intolerance, but with high hopes and no fanfare whatsoever the company put out a product called Maxilact. The first Maxilact was a powder that could be added to fresh milk to break down the lactose into glucose and galactose, both simple sugars that the body can easily digest. America got introduced to lactase in the 1970s, when Alan Kligerman bought the rights and started a company now known as Lactaid. Lactase pills are now so common in every supermarket, pharmacy, and discount store that they don't really need much in the way of advertising. Same with lactose-free milks, which use a liquid solution of lactase to break down the lactose before it reaches your body. They can be found everywhere, too, with most major supermarket chains having their own house brand alongside of regional and national lactose-free milk brands.

Today lactose-free worlds is super-shiny indeed compared to the world of 1978, when I learned I was lactose intolerant. I didn't even hear about Lactaid pills until 1984. Milks arrived later, and they started as 80% or 90% lactose-reduced. True 100% lactose-free milks are newer still.

So what can be greater than 100% lactose-free milk in a dozen different varieties? How does better-tasting 100% lactose-free milk sound?

Milk that's had lactase added to it apparently has a problem, a problem named arylsulfatase. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of it. I never heard of it either and I've been studying the field for 36 years. But there it is in Elsevier's Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences (Second Edition) from 2011. I'm sure it's a steal at $1136 for the ebook edition but fortunately this particular page is available at Google Books. Here's the science:

[T]he development of off-flavor in lactase-treated UHT (Ultra High Temperature pasteurized) milk is related to the accumulation of ρ-cresol - which when present in minute quantities leads to a severe "medical" or "animal" off-flavor. It was discovered that ther accumulation of ρ-cresol in UHT milk was due to the hydrolysis of sulfanated cresol, which is naturally present in milk, by the enzyme arylsuflanase. Arylsulfanase was introduced in the milk as a side activity in the lactase enzyme preparation, and was found to be present in all commercial neutral lactases. DSM Food-Specialties has recently selected a K. lactis strain [of the yeast used to manufacture lactase] that is devoid of arylsulfanase activity.

Who is DSM Food-Specialties? None other than the current parent company of Maxilact. It's taken a while, but Maxilact just put out a press release announcing that a European patent for this new strain of lactase has been granted.

The patent relates to a lactase enzyme, which is free from arylsulfatase. Arylsulfatase is an impurity found in lactase that converts components naturally present in milk to cause off-flavor in lactose-free dairy products, resulting in a limited shelf life. Adding arylsulfatase-free Maxilact® to a dairy formulation ensures that off-flavor development is no longer an issue and the shelf life can be extended.

Only one tiny detail remains open: This new better-tasting milk doesn't appear to exist commercially right now. Certainly not in America. Maxilact is a major player in the small community of lactase so I'm confident that somebody will start using this. Maybe we'll even see a major ad campaign about lactose-free milk, something that hasn't happened in several years.

The future: you gotta love it.

*Yeah, that was supposed to be ironic but nobody had the patience for irony in the 1980s. Besides misreading Timbuk3's catchy ditty about nuclear destruction, we also managed to hear only the first line in REM's "The One I Love" (This one goes out to the one I love/This one goes out to the one I've left behind/A simple prop to occupy my time) and make a wedding song of Sting's ode to stalkers "Every Breath You Take" ("I'll be watching you"). Seriously, an entire decade in which nobody bothered to listen to all the lyrics in a rock song. What's really ironic is that the older I get the less nostalgia I have.

Smart Balance Lactose-Free Products

Browsing around the supermarket today, I ran into Smart Beat cheese. That reminded me that I haven't talked about the company for a while, a company that has a whole range of lactose-free products.

The actual company name is Smart Balance.

Here's a list of the lactose-free products I can find at that site.

Smart Beat® Fat Free Slices
(Enjoy this lactose-free alternative to ordinary cheese and you’ll get calcium and protein – with no fat – at only 25 calories per slice. Smart Beat® Fat Free Slices are certified by the American Heart Association. They’re also certified Kosher.)

Smart Balance™ Lactose-Free Fat Free Milk, with Omega-3's & Vitamin E
(Milk is currently available in FL, ME, RI, MA, CT, NY (Metro NY and Albany), NJ, VT, NH, and GA (Publix in Atlanta).)

Smart Balance® Organic Buttery Spread
(This all-natural, certified organic, 79% vegetable oil Spread tastes and cooks like rich butter, but is 100% vegan.)

Lactose-Free Milk and Lots of It

I mention frequently that I learned I was lactose intolerant back in 1978, long before dairy products made without lactose could be found in any supermarket. That's not to impress you with my age or launch into incoherent screeds about how easy you kids have it today. It's more like sheer astonishment at the changes.

Like this week's shopping trip to a local supermarket. The "dairy" case long ago stopped being merely dairy. Or a case. Today it's a bank of vertical refrigerators, six shelves high. Juices of every possible fruit take up three banks at one end, eggs are at the other. In between are milks. Lots of milk, this being a gigantic store, the flagship of the Wegmans chain and the busiest supermarket I know.

And one whole case, top to bottom, was lactose-free milk. Six full shelves of it. No, seven. The next case over had an additional shelf full. Four separate brands of lactose-free milk were represented there, Lactaid, Real Goodness, Hood, and the Wegmans store brand.

When people ask me why they can't find more varieties of lactose-free dairy items I have to tell them that they simply don't sell. Nothing does. Except lactose-free milk. And that seems to be doing fine. Four brands! I remember the first appearance of a lactose-free milk in a supermarket and the first time I saw two brands competing. They might have taken up a shelf between them. They have been times since when I've seriously wondered if the whole market was going to collapse for lack of buyers.

No longer. Apparently we're in good shape for the foreseeable future.

Now you need to start clamoring for lactose-free ice cream. And then start buying it. Wouldn't it be nice to have even one whole shelf in the frozen section for ourselves?

Fiber Enriched Lactose-Free Milk Passes Test

Lactose is a sugar. Sugar is a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates affect insulin levels, and are therefore a concern for diabetics.

So what about lactose-free milks? In normal commercial lactose-free milk the lactose is not physically removed from the milk. It is broken down - digested - into the simple sugars glucose and galactose. So the sugar problem remains.

What if fiber were added to the milk? Could that make a positive difference?

Apparently it can, judging by a report that was just published in the Journal of Nutrition, 2009 Oct 1;8(1):45. [Epub ahead of print]

"Effects of a fibre enriched milk-drink on insulin and glucose levels in healthy subjects," by Lummela N, Kekkonen RA, Jauhiainen T, Pilvi TK, Tuure T, Jarvenpaa S, Eriksson JG, Korpela R.

Here's the abstract:

BACKGROUND: The glycaemic response to foods is dependent on the quality and content of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates in the form of dietary fibre have favourable effects on insulin and glucose metabolism and may help to control energy intake. Dairy products have a relatively low carbohydrate content, and most of the carbohydrate is in the form of lactose which causes gastrointestinal symptoms in part of the population. In order to avoid these symptoms, dairy products can be replaced with lactose-free dairy products which are on the market in many parts of the world. However, the effects of lactose-free products on insulin and glucose metabolism have not been studied.

METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the effects of 1) a lactose-free milk drink, 2) a novel fibre-enriched, fat- and lactose-free milk drink and 3) normal fat-free milk on serum glucose and insulin levels and satiety using a randomized block design. Following an overnight fast, 26 healthy volunteers ingested 200 ml of one of these drinks on three non-consecutive days. Insulin and glucose levels and subjective satiety ratings were measured before the ingestion of the milk product and 20, 40, 60, 120 and 180 minutes after ingestion. The responses were calculated as the area under the curve subtracted by the baseline value (AUC minus baseline).

RESULTS: The insulin response was significantly lower for the fibre-enriched milk drink than it was for the other milk products (AUC, P=0,007). There were no differences in the response for glucose or in the AUC for the subjective satiety ratings between the studied milk products.

CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that this novel milk drink could have positive effects on insulin response.

As always, there's no way to know when or if this new milk will make it to your local supermarket. The good news is that research into lactose-free milk is not only continuing but seemingly more active than it has been in a long while. That has to mean more and better lactose-free milks available in the future.

Valio's Lactose-Free Milk Is a Hit!

Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free 2% Milk. It's a Hit! Complete with exclamation point!

Who says? None other than Phil Lampert, the Supermarket Guru!

This product is a HIT! Being the grandson of a dairy farmer, I don’t want anybody to screw around with my milk. But the reality is that there are millions of people who are now lactose intolerant. Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free Milk has one of the best mouth feels, colors and tastes of lactose free milk I’ve had. On top of which it has over 1/3 less fat and 40% less sugar than regular milk. Close your eyes, take a sip and you’ll most likely not be able to tell the difference between this and your regular milk. Retails for $2.59.
Valio, Ltd

Lampert gives it a total score of 92 out of 100.

Now here's the biggest news of all, one that deserves its own exclamation point. In the past I've had to lament that Valio is a European company whose products were available seemingly everywhere except the U.S. But Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free Milk is currently being rolled out in U.S. supermarkets!

Here's the schedule:

Week of 8/10:
Shurfine
Foodtown
Shursave

Week of 8/17:
Shop Rite
Acme
P&C Markets
Big M
Weis Markets
Price Chopper

Week of 8/24:
A&P
Pathmark
Waldbaums
Superfresh
King Kullen
Kings
Roche Brothers

Week of 8/31:
Redners Markets
Wegmans
C-Town
Bravo Markets
Big Y
Fine Fare
Shaws
Olean Supplied Stores
Met
Pioneer

Week of 9/7:
Tops

Week of 9/14:
Giant Markets based in Carlisle
Hannaford

Week of 9/21:
Stop & Shop
Bozzutos
Independents

Week of 9/28:
C&S
Independents

Week of 10/5:
Target - Philadelphia /Southern New Jersey /Delaware areas only

Could this major rollout of a hot new product from a major new competitor in the market have anything to do with the Lactose-Free Milk Taste Test I wrote about? A test of a new milk that didn't have the extra sweetness of current lactose-free milks, just like Valio Real Goodness Lactose-Free? All I can say is, what a coincidence otherwise.

Check the Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free Milk website for coupons, recipes, and all the other good stuff that comes with the introduction of a new product. And be sure to let me know what you think of its taste.

Lactose-Free Milk Taste Test

Yesterday I wrote that Lactose-Free Milk Was Still a Work-in-Progress.

So here's somebody who's working on it.

Would you like to be the taste tester for a new type of lactose-free milk? An opportunity just fell into your lap if you live in the right test markets.

Have you forgotten the great taste of fresh-from-the dairy milk or seeking a healthier alternative? For millions, the delicious taste of milk has been muted by substitutes that taste too sweet, replaced with 'grainy' soy products or just completely eliminated from their diets.

If you had the opportunity to enjoy the real taste of milk without the unwanted side effects, wouldn't you want to give it a try?

MomSelect is recruiting male and female participants ranging between 25-54 years who are interested in experiencing the fresh taste of milk or seeking a healthier alternative. You must also reside in one of the following cities: Boston MA, New York City, Syracuse NY, Albany NY, Hartford CT or Philadelphia PA.

This healthier lactose free milk has:
· 38 percent more protein and 42 percent less sugar than the leading lactose free brand.
· 42 percent less sugar than regular milk
· 38 percent less fat than regular milk (2%)
· Calcium for strong bones and teeth
· Vitamin D to help the absorption of calcium
· Made in upstate New York from USA Grade A milk, ultra-pasteurized, homogenized and are rBST free

Please complete a short evaluation form by clicking on this link. After completion and review, we will be in contact with you via email within 3-4 weeks to confirm your participation. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Valika@bsmmedia.com.

The link will be closed once the program is full. This is a limited time offer.

I'm just passing along the info, since please don't ask me any questions. I have no answers. (Though I'd love to get some as soon as they're available.) The firm is a legit one, though.

And they're supporting upstate New York, also a fine thing. I wish them luck. And soon. My curiosity is killing me.

Lactose-Free Milk Still a Work-in-Progress

It's easy to find descriptions of lactose-free milk telling you that it's exactly like regular milk except without the lactose.

That's true. With an asterisk.

The differences between lactose-free and regular milks are tiny. Lactase is used to remove the lactose, breaking it down into the simpler sugars glucose and galactose. Because of a quirk in sugar chemistry - though some would say sugar chemistry is all quirks - each of the simpler sugars individually is sweeter than lactose. As a result, lactose-free milk itself is slightly sweeter than regular milk (although it has the same number of calories). Good for getting kids to drink their milk, less good for adults and for certain recipes.

The other change is more of an issue in the U.S. than elsewhere. Regular milk doesn't sit in the dairy case for very long. Turnover is extremely high, so dairies can afford to use regular pasteurization rather than what is called UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurization or just plain UP. UHT milks last much longer without going bad. They're the norm in many places of the world but not in America. Although techniques keep getting better, regular milk drinkers might notice a slight "cooked" taste to lactose-free milk.

And they do. A study, Sensory characteristics of commercial lactose-free milks manufactured in the United States, Koushik Adhikari et al. in the journal LWT - Food Science and Technology, used both a specialist and a consumer panel to check the differences.

This study determined the sensory characteristics of ultrapasteurized (UP) lactose-free milk of different fat contents, and compared them with regular milk. Nine milk samples (six UP lactose-free and three regular) containing 0, 2 or 3 g milkfat/100 mL were tested by a descriptive panel. A consumer test with three UP lactose-free milk and three regular samples was also conducted. The skim milks were found to be lacking in freshness and the dairy notes were lower compared to the higher-fat-content milks. The UP lactose-free milks were different from the regular milk because of higher intensities of cooked, processed, and sweet attributes. UP lactose-free milks tended to score higher than the regular milks at the same fat content for dairy-related attributes, but this difference was not significant for the reduced-fat milks. Although majority of the consumers in the present study were aware that UP lactose-free milks existed in the market, only few had tasted them before. The higher intensities of cooked and sweet flavor attributes in the UP lactose-free milks might be a hindrance to their consumption by the lactose-intolerant population. More efforts are needed from the dairy industry to develop better lactose-free products and to educate consumers about lactose-free dairy products.

An article by Caroline Scott-Thomas on the study in the Dairy Reporter gave more bad news.

The lactose-free varieties were also described as having more chalkiness, less freshness, more cooked flavors and higher viscosity.

Scott-Thomas says the market for lactose-free milk has increased 20% since 1997. While that may sound good, it falls far short of the explosion in other specialty foods, like gluten-free. It's not clear whether the problem is that most adults with lactose intolerance don't drink any milk at all, whether they settle for regular milk with or without lactase tablets, or whether they would buy more if lactose-free milk tasted as good as regular milk. Making it better certainly couldn't hurt. That's a goal for the food scientists to aim for.

Lactose-Free Milk May Help Diarrhea in Children

The British newspaper The Guardian published a health article in conjunction with the BMJ Group, the BMJ standing for nothing less than the British Medical Journal. That means the advice came with footnotes referencing the actual medical journal articles that backed up the words. Excuse me while I fan myself from the palpitations. Stuff this wonderful doesn't come across every day.

The article answered a question that most parents have to deal with at some point in their youngsters' early lives, What treatments work for diarrhoea in children?

One treatment that might work, though they hedge the answer within an inch of its life, is substituting lactose-free milk for regular milk.

There has been a lot of debate about whether babies with diarrhoea should be given formula milk that is lactose-free while they recover. Lactose-free formula milk does not have cow's milk in it. The theory is that the part of the gut that helps to digest lactose is damaged in diarrhoea so that lactose-free formula milk might be easier to digest. But lactose-free formula milk is usually recommended only in children who have had diarrhoea for a long time.

There have been some studies but the results haven't given us a clear answer about whether formula milk that is lactose-free is better than standard formula milk.

One summary of the research (a systematic review) that looked at 13 studies found that diarrhoea or dehydration was more likely to get worse in babies who had normal formula milk (about 2 in 10 babies) compared to those who had lactose-free formula milk (about 1 in 10 babies).[6] Babies on lactose-free milk got better faster (after about three and a half days) compared to those on normal formula milk (about four days).

Out of five other studies, three found that diarrhoea stopped more quickly in babies who were given lactose-free formula milk.[7] [8] [9] In the two other studies the special formula milk made no difference.[10] [11]

There don't seem to be any side effects from using lactose-free formula milk.

6. Brown KH, Peerson JM, Fontaine O. Use of nonhuman milks in the dietary management of young children with acute diarrhea: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Pediatrics. 1994; 93: 17-27.

7. Allen UD, McLeod K, Wang EE. Cow's milk versus soy-based formula in mild and moderate diarrhea: a randomized, controlled trial. Acta Paediatrica. 1994; 83: 183-187.

8. Fayad IM, Hashem M, Husseine A, et al. Comparison of soy-based formulas with lactose and with sucrose in the treatment of acute diarrhoea in infants. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 1999; 153: 675-680.

9. Wall CR, Webster J, Quirk P, et al. The nutritional management of acute diarrhea in young infants: effect of carbohydrate ingested. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 1994; 19: 170-174.

10. Clemente YF, Tapia CC, Comino AL, et al. Lactose-free formula versus adapted formula in acute infantile diarrhea. Anales Espanola Pediatria. 1993; 39: 309-312.

11. Lozano JM, Cespedes JA. Lactose vs. lactose free regimen in children with acute diarrhoea: a randomized controlled trial. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion. 1994; 44: 6-11.

You should also note that:

Rehydration drinks (also called oral rehydration solutions) contain a mix of salts and sugar to help your body replace fluids and salts lost through diarrhoea. They do not stop the diarrhoea. But they can prevent your child getting dehydrated.

This is the safest treatment and it should be tried first.