Getting to Know Grass-fed Milk: The Best Choice to Meet Adult’s Daily Nutrition
It’s no longer a secret that cow's milk is one of the best choices of beverage containing a good source of nutrition recommended for regular consumption. Along with the development of milk products, consumers are now faced with more and more choices of milk created to answer consumers’ various needs. One of them is 'grass-fed milk', whose label can be found on the milk packaging in the market.
What is a grass-fed milk?
Grass-fed milk is milk obtained from cows that consume almost 100% forage, both fresh green grasses and dried and stored grass, without additional hormones. This type of milk is usually obtained from cows that live on pasture with soil, water, and air qualities suitable for optimal grass growth throughout the year. This feeding pattern, dominated by green grass, allows grass-fed milk to contain an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, which is good for heart health, brain function, and the immune system. Grass-fed milk also generally contains less omega-6, resulting in a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. This ratio is essential, considering that too high a level of omega-6 can trigger inflammation and heart disease[1].
In addition to a more balanced nutritional content, the farming method for obtaining grass-fed milk allows cows to live in lush pastures. There, the cows are free to graze, just like nature intended. This exposes the cows to less stress, which can affect the quality, nutrition, taste, and texture of the milk they produce.
“At its core, what dairy cows consume will affect the milk they produce, both from the nutritional content, taste, to the final texture after processing. Biologically, the cows’ body develops to process grass, so cows that consume more grass tend to have better milk with a more balanced nutritional profile, which is better for human consumption. This is why grass-fed milk contains a balanced nutrition that is good for adult consumption. From an animal welfare standpoint, such a process is exemplary because the cows are freed to graze like they were in their natural habitat," said Haryadi Raharjo, Scientific and Nutrition Manager of Anlene Fonterra Brands Indonesia.
New Zealand’s Grass-Fed Milk, The Best Choice for Adults
New Zealand has long been known as one of the world's largest dairy producers, consistently producing more than 21 million metric tons[2] (or more than 85.7 million glasses of milk) of cow's milk annually. This is made possible thanks to the soil fertility and natural conditions that support the growth of highly nutritious grass where cows can grow healthily and naturally, making New Zealand one of the countries with the best animal welfare standards in the world. This has allowed Fonterra to become New Zealand’s No. 1 dairy cooperation that produces abundant grass-fed milk throughout the year to then answer various consumer needs for bone, muscle, and joint health through its flagship milk brand, Anlene. This includes consumers in the Indonesian market, a country whose population is slowly moving towards the senior and elderly group.
As an adult milk brand from Fonterra with more than 20 years of contribution to maintaining Indonesians’ bone, joint, and muscle health, Anlene is committed to protecting the health of its consumers and the environment. Therefore, all Anlene milk variants are made from grass-fed and pasture-raised milk—certified by the independent assessment agency AsureQuality[3]—produced by more than 9,000 farming families who are members of the Fonterra cooperation in New Zealand. Anlene milk-producing cows consume at least 96% grass all year round, resulting in milk with a relatively higher content of conjugated linoleic acid[4], beta carotene[5], and vitamin D[6], which are beneficial for bones, joints, and muscles.
Haryadi added, "The quality of Anlene's products and the benefits our consumers can enjoy are closely related to the raw materials we use, cow's milk. Pure milk that is rich in nutrition from healthy cows reared on fresh green pastures that grow from the fertile soil of New Zealand is the key to Anlene milk, which is high in calcium, vitamin D, protein, fibre, and other good minerals. Not only for our products, but we have also consistently promoted a holistic approach to adult health, including physical and mental health, especially for Indonesian adults in the last twenty years. We are still and will continue to innovate to prove that #AgeIsNoLimit through our product innovations and other educational campaigns."
Check out how Anlene champions the freedom to move for Indonesian adults here.
Note:
[1] DiNicolantonio JJ, O'Keefe JH. (2018). Importance of maintaining a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio for reducing inflammation. Open Heart, 5(2).
[2] Statista. (2022). Volume of milk production in New Zealand from 2013 to 2022.
[3] Fonterra. Grass Fed.
[4] Kay, J.K., Roche, J.R., Kolver, E.S., Thomson, N.A. and Baumgard, L.H. (2005). A Comparison between Feeding Systems (Pasture and TMR) and the Effect of Vitamin E Supplementation on Plasma and Fatty Acid Profiles in Dairy Cows. Journal of Dairy Research, 72, 322-332.
[5] MacGibbon, A.K., & Taylor, M.W. (2020). Composition and Structure of Bovine Milk Lipids. Advanced Dairy Chemistry, Volume 2.
[6] Brendon D. Gill, Xiangjun Zhu, Harvey E. Indyk. (2016). The determination of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in early lactation and seasonal bovine milk, International Dairy Journal, Volume 63, Pages 29-34.