A New Food Composition Database of Lactose-Free Products Commercialized in Spain: Differences in Nutritional Composition as Compared to Traditional Products

Abstract

We developed a new database to evaluate the nutritional composition of lactose-free products from Spain. The database includes dairy products and other products, all of which show the “lactose-free” declaration on their label, accounting for 327 products in total. Of these, 123 are dairy products, 16 are non-dairy products which include a dairy ingredient (5%) and 188 items (57% of the sample) are non-dairy products that do not contain any dairy ingredient. The main subgroups are yogurt (25%), milk (24%), and cheese (17%). Nineteen percent of the compiled products included nutritional claims on their labels. Most lactose-free products did not contain either added sugars or low- or no-calorie sweeteners (58%), while 34% included added sugars and only 6%, sweeteners or a combination of both (2%). We found that 19.5%, mainly within the milk subgroup, were fortified with vitamins A, D, E, K, B9, and B12, P, and Ca. There were no significant differences in the nutritional composition between lactose-free products and traditional products. According to the NOVA classification, 55% of compiled lactose-free products were ultra-processed, and 20% processed. The array of lactose-free products marketed in Spain proves that there are enough, both in quantity and quality, to satisfy the dairy needs of lactose intolerants.

Cross-sectional determinants of lactose-free food awareness and purchase among adult consumers

“…(2020) reported that despite the notable nutritional and label claims like ‘high protein, high calcium, and organic’ in the packages of lactose-free products, they are not effective in the purchasing behaviour of consumers. In line with that, 21% of lactose-free products do not have additional labelling claims, other than the ‘lactose-free’ claim (Martínez Rodríguez et al ., 2021). In another study, while the primary determinant in purchasing lactose-free products was the price, ‘sweeter taste’ has been a significant driver for most lactose-free consumers in the United States (Rizzo et al ., 2020).…”

Türki̇ye'de Üç Bölgeden Toplanan Geleneksel Sütleri̇n Metaboli̇k İçeri̇ği̇ni̇n NMR Spektroskopi̇si̇ İle Anali̇zi̇

“…In accordance with regulations issued by authorities, the German dairy industry offers ≤0.1% lactose content into line with EU regulations (Morlock et al, 2014). The Spanish Agency of Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has issued that a product labelled lactose-free is required to contain less than 0.01% lactose (0.299 mM) (Martínez Rodríguez al., 2021). The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Türkiye, has declared that lactose-free labelled milk must have a lactose content of less than 0.1% (2.99 mM) (Guide for Turkish Food Codex Notification on milk, 2019/12).…”

The Expansion of the Hellenic Food Thesaurus; Allergens Labelling and Allergens-Free Claims on Greek Branded Food Products

“…In addition, gluten-free eating patterns have become a mainstream phenomenon during recent years, with perceived healthiness being the fundamental reason for this choice [21][22][23]. Moreover, consumer research shows that lactose-tolerant or undiagnosed population groups actively search for lactose-free products that they link with several potential health-related benefits [24,25].…”