Lactose intolerant sufferers can now indulge in dairy with Arla's Lactofree, the UK's first dairy drink to taste of milk, but contain less than 0.05% lactose.
Arla says that 30% of UK citizens believe themselves to be intolerant to something and half of this figure are thought to be lactose intolerant. The problem starts when the cells lining an individual's small intestine are unable to produce enough of the enzyme lactase.
This causes the digestive system to malfunction and it has difficulty in breaking up lactose, a form of sugar found in milk.
Lactofree is made from cows' milk that has been filtered to remove the sugars and enzymes that are blamed for feelings of nausea, bloating, flatulence, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Lactase is then added to the product to break down the remaining milk sugars into glucose and galactose so that they can be more easily absorbed into the bloodstream.
Arun Prabhu, project manager from Arla Foods, says: "Lactose intolerant sufferers will no longer have to compromise on the food and drink that they consume. We hope many more people will be able to reap the benefits of drinking a real dairy drink. We are very excited about this new product as Lactofree really is the only solution for those seeking a superior milk alternative."
Lactofree is available in Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Morrison.