Valio expects to dominate US lactose-free market
Writing in Food Science and Technology this summer scientists at Kansas State University said manufacturers should make more effort to produce good-tasting lactose-free dairy products.
Valio claims to have done just that with its Real Goodness lactose free milk that is now being launched in the US.
Production method
The company says Real Goodness is the only lactose free milk that actually tastes like real milk. The method behind its production, which involves the physical removal of lactose from milk, is patented in a number of countries.
It leaves milk free of lactose but with all other milk nutrients intact, according to Valio.
Market share targets
The launch in the US will take Valoi's lactose-free milk to 3,200 stores in the US, mainly on the East Coast. Valois said it will be aiming its product at the estimated 12 million people on the Eastern seaboard who suffer from lactose intolerance.
The goal for the first year is to attain comprehensive store coverage in the target market and a larger than 20 percent market share in the product segment. In the longer term, Valio firmly believes it can reach the entire target group of 60 million lactose intolerant consumers in the US.
“The lactose free milks sold in the USA have until now had either a sweetish or watery taste,” said Veijo Meriläinen, executive VP of international operations and innovations at Valois. “There’s great potential and we anticipate success.”
