12 Jan 2016 UK: Skimmed milk that tastes as good as semi-skimmed

The farmer-owned dairy cooperative has spent three years developing the technology to produce Arla BOB, or Best of Both. It involves collecting some of the naturally occurring protein in milk and carefully adding more of it back into skimmed milk to deliver a taste and texture that is as good as semi-skimmed and fat-free.

Its protein content is 4.7g for 100ml and 9.4g for 200ml.  Standard fresh skimmed milk ranges between is 3.4-3.6g per 100ml and 6.8 – 7.2g per 200 ml.

At a time when the UK Government is encouraging consumers to consider their eating and drinking habits, Arla says that Arla BOB is set to rewrite the rules on what milk drinkers can expect from the traditionally blue, green and red-topped milk aisle.

Arla BOB has a yellow top, distinguishing it from other bottles. In addition, with Arla’s unique PurFiltre filtration process, it also has a longer refrigerated shelf life.

The launch is part of Arla’s drive to add value to its milk, through the development of innovative products with a focus on the inherent naturalness of dairy. It follows on from the successful launch of Arla Protein (a fat-free, high-protein yoghurt), Arla Skyr and Arla Big Milk ( whole cows’ milk, finely filtered for freshness and enriched with key vitamins and minerals, and aimed at children) last year. [It is, however, an interesting counter to the growing trend to eschew fat-free or low-fat dairy, and the resuscitation of full-cream dairy products. Ed]

The launch of Arla BOB will be supported by a £7 million integrated marketing campaign.

Sarah Baldwin, Vice President, Marketing, Arla Foods UK, comments: “We are perfectly positioned to launch something genuinely pioneering and Arla Best of Both is one of the biggest innovations we’ve created in the milk category. Our innovation strategy is to develop great tasting and healthier products whilst investing to help drive consumer understanding of dairy which we feel is part of our responsibility.

“With organisations like Public Health England encouraging people to consider drinking lower fat milks, we believe Arla BOB will be a popular choice for many consumers.”