Valio Laktoositon Lactose Celebrates 10 Years

10 years ago Valio launched a world first, the completely lactose free milk drink that tastes like regular fresh milk. This benchmark innovation has gathered more consumer praise than any previous Valio product.

Sep 14 2011 --- Poor tolerance of lactose, or milk sugar, had until that time forced many people to exercise care when it came to fresh dairy products or even to eliminate them from their diet. Valio had introduced a range of low lactose products (HYLA), but many consumers shunned in particular HYLA milk due to its slightly sweet taste. 10 years ago Valio launched a world first, the completely lactose free milk drink that tastes like regular fresh milk. This benchmark innovation has gathered more consumer praise than any previous Valio product.

The Finnish economy needs leading innovations in order to succeed. One such innovation is the complete removal of lactose from milk employing the prize winning patented method developed by Valio which leaves milk’s all nutrients and its fresh taste intact. Valio’s lactose free products accounted for some 8% of Group net sales in 2010.

“Ten years ago, Valio launched the world’s first milk drink that tastes like fresh milk and can be consumed by people who suffer intestinal problems brought on by even the smallest quantities of lactose. Tasty yet completely lactose free products have been a major competitive success for Valio both in Finland and international markets,” says Matti Harju, Dr.Sc. (Technology) and Vice President in charge of Technology Development at Valio, who invented the patented method for the separation of lactose and continued its development.

Valio’s lactose free product family has grown rapidly year by year – especially in Finland and Sweden where annual sales growth is running at 10% and as high as 20% respectively. Total net sales for the whole product group amount to more than 130 million euro.

Valio’s product range includes around one hundred lactose free consumer and industrial items. Some are lactose free by nature, such as matured cheeses, while the lactose has been removed from others. The Valio Laktoositon brand lactose free product family comprises around 30 items. The flagship product is Valio Laktoositon lactose free milk drink, available in fat free, low fat and full fat varieties in several package sizes from a half litre carton to a 1.5 litre family pack and 10 litre food service pack. An organic lactose free low fat milk drink was launched under the Valio Laktoositon Luomu brand in 2010. The newest member of the Valio Laktoositon product family is a lactose free 3% fat milk drink launched in September 2011.

Valio’s lactose removal technology won the Gold European Food Tech Award in 2006, the Finnish Engineering Award in 2008, and the Edelcrantz award in 2010.

Valio Zero Lactose production technology has been licensed to four countries: Norway, Switzerland, Spain and South Korea. Valio also manufactures and exports products under the Valio Zero Lactose brand to Belgium, France, the Baltic States, and Russia.

Valio exports lactose free fresh dairy products under the Valio Laktosfri brand to Sweden, where the product group is one of the two cornerstones of Valio’s success alongside Valio Vanilj indulgence yoghurts.

The production process for Valio Laktoositon low fat milk drink involves the physical removal of part of the lactose, or milk sugar, and the remainder is enzymatically degraded as in traditional low lactose dairy products. It is estimated that 17% of Finland’s population suffers from lactose intolerance, while in Sweden the figure is 6%.