Finlandia: Real Cow's Milk Lactose-Free Cheese

After yesterday's diatribe, I though I'd show you the other half of the story.

You can get real cheese, made from real cow's milk, that is truly lactose-free. How do they do it? Science.

Finlandia Cheese is a subsidiary of Finland's largest dairy company, Valio. They have a reputation to uphold if they proclaim that their cheese is truly lactose-free. Yet they do.

How can Finlandia be lactose free?

Finlandia Swiss cheese is manufactured from milk which is coagulated by heat and microbial rennet. After coagulation the cheese is fermented with a souring agent containing lactobacilli, Streptococcus thermophilus and propionic acid bacteria. Within 24 hours, these bacteria break down the lactose into galactose and glucose. These are fermented further to lactic acid. Lactic acid is then fermented to acetic acid, propionic acid and carbon dioxide so that Finlandia Swiss does not contain lactose or any other carbohydrates.

Finlandia Imported Muenster, Gouda and Havarti cheeses are manufactured from milk which is coagulated by heat and microbial rennet. After coagulation the cheeses are fermented with a souring agent containing lactococci and lactobacilli. Within 24 hours, these bacteria break down the lactose into galactose and glucose. These are fermented further to lactic acid. Therefore these Finlandia cheeses do not contain lactose or any other carbohydrates. (Traces of lactose may be found in Havarti cheese, but levels are well below the limit accepted for a lactose-free claim.)

The following is a list of our lactose free products:

Imported Swiss, Imported Light Swiss, Imported Black Label Emmental, Imported Black Label Gouda, Imported Black Label Gruyere, Imported Oltermanni Baby Muenster, Imported Muenster, Imported Light Swiss, Imported Thin-Sliced Swiss, Imported Havarti, Imported Gouda.

All this and a page of tasty recipes. And Finlandia Cheese can be found in stores all over the United States.