When you think of lactose-free milk, you may think of a dairy alternative — but it is, in fact, real dairy and it’s a growing category in milk. Lactose-free milk contains all the same vitamins and nutrients as regular milk, just without lactose, a natural sugar found only in milk. Our bodies need the enzyme lactase to digest lactose, but if your body doesn’t produce enough lactase, you become lactose intolerant, causing digestive side effects. This milk is a great alternative to regular milk for those who are lactose intolerant but still want the same great nutrition of regular milk.
Most lactose-free milk is made using ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization to allow for a longer shelf life. But now those who are lactose intolerant have a fresh option to choose from.
Alta Dena® Dairy, our farmer-owned brand throughout Southern California, recently introduced lactose-free milk, produced at Alta Dena Dairy South, one of the two DFA plants in City of Industry, Calif. Unlike other products, this one is made with completely fresh milk and available at a less expensive price than our competitors. To preserve the great farm fresh taste, it’s made using double high temperature, short time (HTST) pasteurization. Opposite from UHT pasteurization, HTST uses lower temperatures to pasteurize the milk, eliminating bad bacteria but keeping the healthy bacteria our bodies need.
While many national brands offer lactose-free milk, Alta Dena stands out as the only local, farmer-owned brand.
“Alta Dena identified a growing category that was dominated by national brands with very little local brand presence,” says Victor Gastelum, general manager of Alta Dena Dairy South.
Alta Dena offers this lactose-free milk in a gallon size in both 2% and whole varieties. You can find it throughout retail stores in Southern California including Big Saver Foods, Cardenas, Numero Uno Market, Stater Bros. Markets, Super A Foods and WinCo Foods.