According to a World Health Organization report, consuming too much sugar reduces the absorption by the body of vitamins A, C and B, calcium, iron, magnesium, and other nutrients, slows down growth and causes overweight and obesity.

FrieslandCampina (owner of the Dutch Lady Brand) climbed into the list of top four companies that make the largest contributions to improving nutrition globally announced by the Access to Nutrition Foundation.

In Dutch Lady’s survey of mothers on criteria for choosing fresh milk, “balanced nutrients” was one of their three most important.

Forty five per cent of mothers referred to this criterion when asked “What milk do mothers choose to keep their children healthy?”  

The survey found that when choosing milk for their children, many modern mothers pay attention to not only products’ origin but also the balance of nutrients in each carton of milk their children drink every day, helping them achieve the best possible health.

Dutch Lady fresh milk reduces sugars by 42 per cent, offering consumers healthier nutrition.

This is something Dutch Lady focuses on in each product it supplies to consumers.

Bringing useful nutrition solutions for consumers’ health

Most children like to eat sweet things. So many nutrition products targeting them contain high sugar levels. However, according to a World Health Organization report, consuming too much sugar reduces the absorption of vitamins A, C and B, calcium, iron, magnesium, and other nutrients, slows down growth, and causes overweight and obesity.

So when choosing nutrition products for children, parents are conflicted as to how to choose: whether to satisfy their children’s taste buds or choose products that do not negatively affect their health.

Dutch Lady’s products do not contain a lot of sugar or saturated fats since, though sweet and fat foods are admittedly delicious, they are not healthy. Since 2009 the brand has studied balanced nutritious solutions, limiting saturated fats and balancing sugars in its products.

As a result, the rate of Dutch Lady’s balanced sugar products has increased to 45 per cent from 1 per cent in the last eight years. 

Dutch Lady researches nutrition in labs and then applies innovations in its production. 

Balancing nutrients for children’s health

Việt Nam is situated near the equator and gets sunshine almost the entire year.

This ought to help generate vitamin D in children, but according to the South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS I) done by Dutch Lady in 2010-11, 50 per cent of Vietnamese children lacked vitamins D, A, B1, and C and iron.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, contributing to osteoporosis, fractures and rickets and affecting children’s height development.

Dutch Lady has taken efforts to address this deficiency in Vietnamese children.

Dutch Lady is carrying out the second SEANUTS nutrition survey in Southeast Asia in 2019-21

Besides efforts to limit saturated fats and sugars, it makes a product supplemented with vitamin D3 to enable calcium absorption by children and containing calcium, phosphorus and protein at optimally balanced levels. 

SEANUTS I results guided programmes such as Drink-Move-Be Strong to inspire healthy living and good nutritious practices in students at more than 100 primary schools and kindergartens nationwide, and For Vietnam to Leap Forward and Reach Higher carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training to provide knowledge about balanced nutrients by setting up nutrition corners and playgrounds for millions of primary school students.

Besides, Dutch Lady is carrying out the second phase of SEANUTS in 2019-21.

Its results will be used to develop national nutritious programmes to create a sustainable health foundation for children in Southeast Asia including Việt Nam.

With its ‘nourishing by nature’ programme undertaken globally, including in Việt Nam, for 145 years Dutch Lady is contributing to bringing healthy lives and creating a foundation for the development of physical health for younger generations through safe, natural and pure milk products.