It is the first milk to feature Ganeden’s BC30 strain and comes in half-gallon, low-fat and fat-free varieties manufactured by Michigan-based milk processor, Guernsey Farms Dairy.
The products will be available in various Michigan-area retailers with expansion planned and join a handful of probiotic milks on the US market. Spoonable and drinking yogurts are the most popular format to date.
NFO benefits
“This is the result of our partnership with the NFO and is something we have been developing for some time,” Ganeden business development coordinator, Julia Boyd, told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
“We are working with other NFO members and expect further launches soon.”
Ganeden said it had developed the GanedenBC30 strain to resist the kind of heat treatment typical in milk processing.
Ganeden was unable to clarify pricing nor dosage at the time of publication.
“We have been interested in collaborating on a probiotic-enhanced milk line for some time, and have found the perfect partner in Guernsey Farms Dairy,” said Ganeden chief executive officer, Andrew Lefkowitz, in a statement.
Tom Rice, marketing director for Guernsey Farms Dairy, said: “Now consumers who enjoy our milk can have the added health benefits of probiotics without having to take a supplement."
Ganeden said the strains ability to withstand heat treatment was down to a, “naturally-occurring layer of organic material that protects the genetic core of the bacteria.”
Ganeden said the tie-up it signed with the NFO last year had seen farmers, ranchers and dairymen being educated about the health benefits of probiotics in an attempt to address milk sales that have been declining since world war two, according to USDA figures. Sweetened soft drinks now outsell milk.
A recent study published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, noted that milk consumption was half that of its historical highs.
"We are thrilled to be able to provide the health benefits of probiotic-enhanced milk to consumers, while also providing another stream of revenue for our nation's family dairy farmers," said Bradley Rach, NFO national dairy director said at the time.
Other categories featuring Ganeden’s probiotics include a frozen yogurt, soft serve yogurt and ice teas, health bars, pasta, muffins, soup and cheese.