DMK on reduced sugar and fat drive

Healthy and well-balanced diets have been a constant hit for many years. More consumers are paying attention to a health-conscious diet and increasingly resorting to products with as little sugar as possible. Therefor Deutsche Milchkontor (DMK) in Germany is now using less sugar and fat in some products, it says.

“At DMK we develop new concepts and products that meet the needs of consumers and help them to live a balanced life. As a leading food manufacturer we are focusing on a customer-oriented approach to offer dairy products that consumers are looking for in the refrigerated display,” says Matthias Rensch, responsible for the brand business within the DMK Group.

The DMK Group is, with 8.1 billion kilograms of processed milk, one of the largest suppliers of food retailing in Germany. With its flagship brand Milram, the DMK Group is serving the demand for protein and healthy nutrition, the company says. Newly introduced flavours such as Milram Buttermilk Drink Grapefruit Aronia and Milram Buttermilk Drink Redcurrant Pomegranate, contain comparatively little sugar. The same applies to the new Milram fine quark cream varieties. Milram Skyr drinks containing “a lot of protein and low fat” have also been released, and the brand’s existing products will see sugar reduction as well.

“This year and the next we will gradually reduce the added sugar so that consumers get used to less sugar. It is very important that we do not compensate for the lower sugar content with sweeteners or sweetener-based flavours, but with milk and yogurt. After all, the brand stands for natural, honest enjoyment. Apart from that, consumers are paying more attention to a short list of ingredients. Clean and clear labels are a big topic,” Rensch says.

The revision of the product range is taking place in three steps. Initially, the brand is focusing on product categories that are aimed at healthy consumers: buttermilk and kefir drinks as well as fine quark cream. The second step is the sweet products such as Milram dessert sauce, followed by the remaining products in which sugar is added.

With the Milram Food Service division, the DMK Group occupies a market-leading position in the supply of dairy-based gastronomy, and sees itself as having a responsible role in driving the issue here. With the new Skyr desserts, the first sugar and reduced fat products were introduced this spring. Important in adapting existing formulas is to maintain the proven taste and functional properties. Because sugar is not only a flavour carrier, but also a texturiser, DMK notes.

“Crucial for chefs is, among other things, the consistency. Our Milram professional desserts, whether quark, yogurt, buttermilk or skyr, provide a particularly creamy texture. This will not change in the future. Even with less sugar, the proven taste and taste experience remains high quality,” Rensch states.

Related content

Leave a reply

Food and Drink Technology