NIGERIA – Thompson & Grace Pharmaceuticals Limited (T & G Pharma), a leading pharmaceutical company in Nigeria has launched Valio milk powder, a lactose free milk powder into the country, reports Beverage Industry News.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of T & G Pharma, Dr. Isaac Amos said that Valio milk is produced in Finland by Valio Limited and is easy to digest, contain low calories and high protein content.

According to him, consumers can now enjoy the pleasant healthy experience of the product which comes in a natural taste, colour and aroma of milk without sweetness and preservatives.

“The milk is suitable for drinking, cooking and baking. It is good for our health,” he said.

Valio milk comes into the Nigerian market in four variants of “Valio lactose-free whole milk; Valio lactose-free semi-skimmed milk; Valio lactose-free skimmed milk; and Valio skimmed milk.”

Dr Amos further explained that Valio Milk is a product for that fits all consumers – “from age one and above” and more so expectant women as it will help them to breast feed and live a healthy live after delivery.

Speaking during the launching of the product at the Embassy of Finland in Abuja, Mr Paavo Salminen, the Senior Vice President of Valio Company in Finland, with Valio lactose-free milk, lactose-intolerant consumers have the freedom of consuming dairy products.

“Nigeria is a great country with excellent people.

We are introducing this lactose-free milk in the country as a means to improve the health of the people as well as the economy of the nation,” Salminen said.

He explained that Valio lactose-free milk is made from fresh premium-quality Finnish milk that is collected from Valio’s milk farmers in Finland.

According to Valio, which has a global turnover of EUR 1.7bn, it is the first company to provide lactose-free milk products to Nigerians in powdered form.

Valio powdered milk is exclusively marketed and promoted in Nigeria by Thompson & Grace Pharmaceuticals Limited, Lagos.

Why lactose-free?

Lactose, also called milk-sugar is a natural carbohydrate in milk.

The carbohydrate is associated with a condition known as Lactose intolerance is a condition arising from the inability of a body to breakdown and absorb lactose especially after infancy.

The unabsorbed lactose causes digestive problems, such as diarrhoea, nausea flatulence and bloating, with approximately 65 percent of the human population having a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.

Medical research has shown that lactose intolerance in adulthood is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent.

Lactose intolerance affects more than 90 percent of adults in some of these communities, and is also very common in people of West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent.

Dr. Amos said that so far lactose intolerance has no cure or no known way to make the body produce more lactase.

However, the condition can be managed through limiting consumption of dairy products and consuming lactose-reduced or free food.