Under its agreement with the Finnish dairy, New South Wales-based MPD Dairy Products will distribute Valio Eila lactose-free milk powder and Valio HYLA low-lactose milk powder in Australia.
Speaking with DairyReporter.com, Laura Enbom, export manager, Valio, said the deal with MPD Diary Products will offer food and beverage manufacturers in Australia "easy access" to its lactose-free and low-lactose milk powder offerings.
"Individual companies don't need to apply for import licenses for these products as MPD takes care of that, and the freight costs from Finland to Australia are lower as more volume can be shipped at once, compared to if the products were shipped in smaller shipments to individual companies," she said.
"MPD has several warehouses in Australia so the individual companies don't need to order and store large volumes in their own premises."
With demand for lactose-free and low-lactose in Australia and Asian market growing, the deal with MPD Dairy Products represents a "lucrative opportunity" for Valio and "helps local companies in Australia to source these ingredients as they can deal with a local company."
"There are numerous companies who are demanding these ingredients for manufacturing lactose-free products for Australian and Asian markets," said Enbom.
"Easy to digest"
Lactose intolerance, the inability to digest a sugar in milk and other dairy products called lactose, is thought to be as high as 90% in some Asian countries.
Valio, Finland's largest dairy, first "saw an opportunity" in lactose-free dairy the 1970s, and in the last 10 years has developed a line of lactose-free and low-lactose dairy products.
"Valio is the world's leading producer of lactose-free milk powders with a unique, patented technology behind them," said Enbom.
"There are no other lactose-free milk powders with as low a residual lactose content (less than 0.1%) combined with a high protein and low carbohydrate content."
“These powders can be used widely in traditional food and beverage applications but also in applications like weight management, sports nutrition, medical nutrition and others where high nutritional value, high protein and low carbohydrate content is preferred and where stomach friendliness, easy to digest properties are important," Enbom added.