Food Union to reduce sugar in flavoured milk drink

Responding to consumers’ desire for products with reduced sugar content, Latvia’s leading dairy company “Food Union” (part of Food Union Group) has developed a new product under its popular children’s flavoured milk brand “Rasēns” – a strawberry-flavored “Rasēns” with 30% less added sugar. Maintaining its consistently great taste, added vitamins, and calcium, “Rasēns” has now become even more attractive to children and parents who monitor their overall sugar intake!

As the trend toward healthier daily habits grows, consumers are paying more attention to the composition of food products, particularly evaluating their sugar and salt content. Parents, in particular, are increasingly mindful of their children’s diets, striving to provide healthier alternatives with lower sugar levels.

This approach is also encouraged by the World Health Organization (WHO) globally and the Ministry of Health at the local level. The WHO recommends monitoring daily sugar intake, ensuring that children aged 2 to 6 years do not exceed 10% of their total daily energy intake from sugar, with an ideal reduction to 5%, which equates to approximately 15–20 grams of sugar per day, or 3–4 teaspoons. Additionally, the Ministry of Health’s Cabinet Regulation No. 172 sets restrictions on salt and sugar levels in children’s diets—both in food products and beverages—within educational institutions. This includes limiting added sugar in dairy products to 5 grams per 100 grams or 100 milliliters of the product.

“All ‘Rasēns’ milks, containing between 4.6–4.9 g of added sugar, already comply with Cabinet Regulation No. 172 regarding limited added sugar content. However, the new strawberry ‘Rasēns’ with just 3.4 g of added sugar is now an undisputed leader in this dairy product category for those who prefer lower-sugar options,” emphasizes Estere Ermale, “Food Union Latvia” dairy product brand manager.

“This is currently the first and only ‘Rasēns’ product with reduced sugar content, expanding our existing range of five products. However, we plan to continue developing a ‘less sugar’ product line to meet consumer preferences,” adds Estere Ermale.

“Rasēns” milk is available in chocolate, strawberry, caramel, and banana flavors, as well as in its classic plain milk variant. “Rasēns” classic milk is the largest participant in the “Milk and Fruit for Schools” program.