Rip off with expensive lactose-free foods

Overpriced and unnecessary lactose-free foods

07/20/2012

Lactose-free foods are not only significantly overpriced, but in many cases, the labeling is basically superfluous, because the products contain hardly any lactose anyway. As the consumer center Hamburg reports, numerous manufacturers use the label "lactose free" apparently exclusively to take the customer more money.

The consumer center Hamburg has "taken a total of 24 as dairy-free labeled products from the fields of sausage and cheese, bread and pastries and dairy products under the microscope." The consumer advocates found that the products for people with lactose intolerance cost on average about 2.4 times, as comparable conventional products. This also applies to products on which the label "lactose-free" emblazoned, although they "naturally contain no or only very little milk sugar," according to the message from the Consumer Center Hamburg.

Lactose-free foods significantly overpriced
When comparing the price of lactose-free products with conventional foods, consumer advocates found that people with lactose intolerance on average have to accept a price premium of just under 140 percent for the products examined in the market check. Even lactose-free sausage products was on average "95 percent more expensive, although, for example, ham, boiled ham and turkey breast naturally contain no lactose and the addition of lactose in the production is also not common," reports the Hamburg consumer center in their latest press release.

Many products labeled as "lactose-free" contain hardly any milk sugar anyway
The tested lactose-free cheeses were also significantly more expensive than conventional comparable cheese products. On average, dairy-free cheese cost 122 percent more, although here too many products, such as "the classics Emmentaler, Gouda, Tilsiter and butter cheese are strictly low in lactose by nature" and can normally be "consumed without hesitation" by people with lactose intolerance, so the message of the consumer center.

Lactose-free black bread front-runner in the price premium
When examined black bread of the manufacturer "Minus L" was the markup premium at a staggering 383 percent compared to normal brown bread. This "black bread declared gluten- and lactose-free was the leader in the market check at almost five times the price, although bread generally does not contain any lactose at all," criticizes the consumer advice center. The bread products were also lactose-free Knäcke- and multi-grain bread with surcharges of 170 percent and 277 percent as particularly overpriced. The consumer advocates also complained that "butter, which is naturally low in lactose and already eaten in small quantities anyway, in the lactose-free version by 217 percent more expensive" was than normal butter.

Lactose free for marketing purposes only
According to the consumer center Hamburg, more and more food is sold for purely marketing purposes as lactose-free and then sold overpriced. "While lactose-free milk is a good alternative for those with intolerance, many other foods, such as hard cheese, mozzarella, bread or turkey meats are unnecessary specialty products," said the Consumer Center. Although 85 percent of Germans with milk sugar have no problems, according to information from consumer advocates, annual double-digit sales growth in this area. The food industry had succeeded in "lactose-free food to make a modern lifestyle product," said the consumer center Hamburg.Viele Germans suspect that lactose free is generally healthier.

Have lactose intolerance checked by a doctor
According to a recommendation of the Consumer Advice Center, before consumers buy expensive lactose-free foods, they should be able to "diagnose lactose intolerance by a specialist and have them individually tested in what quantities ordinary foods can be eaten." Tolerance limit for lactose intake. The consumer advocates also see it as their duty to oblige the manufacturers to indicate the exact quantity on all foods containing lactose. Such concrete information would provide the about 12 million affected people throughout Germany with shopping important information. Because people with lactose intolerance could save a lot of money if they do without the expensive special products in the already low-lactose or lactose-free foods. Furthermore, according to the consumer advocates, the two terms "low-lactose" and "lactose-free" should be clearly defined by the legislator, as so far also foods labeled as "lactose-free" may still contain 0.1 grams of lactose per kilogram. (Fp)

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