Do mothers who seek quality milk know why Dutch Lady fresh milk has been trusted in more than 100 countries? That is because within less than 20 minutes after milking, raw fresh milk is cooled to limit bacteria contamination. This is a specific step in the production chain from grass to glass that Dutch Lady applies in Việt Nam to ensure the quality of fresh milk is the same as elsewhere in the world.

Within 20 minutes after milking, raw fresh milk has to be cooled immediately to preserve its natural ingredients and prevent the proliferation of bacteria.

Strict control of raw fresh milk

At the buying stage, fresh milk has to be transported to cooling stations within less than 20 minutes for being cooled and stored in specially-designed cooling tanks at below 4 degrees Celsius to ensure safety and deliciousness. Because of this stringent requirement, Dutch Lady has set up more than 42 cooling stations in the most convenient spots for farmers to be able to travel easily and quickly.

Raw fresh milk is evaluated for quality by using strict technical methods involving many steps like testing odour, taste, colour, freshness, plate count (also called the aerobic organism rate), protein, fat, and other nutrients. All this serves to ensure the fresh milk does not contain any antibiotic residues or preservatives. So the quality of Dutch Lady fresh milk is the best in Southeast Asia, with average total plate count (TPC) of 260,000 CFU/ml, lower than the previous 300,000 CFU/ml, meaning the count is only an 11th of the permitted 3,000,000 CFU/ml.

Before being sold to consumers, Dutch Lady fresh milk has to meet “four NOs” - no antibiotic residues, no pesticides left over from the breeding process, no preservatives, and no colourants. 

Strict management and test of quality

After following strict standards for raw fresh milk, what does Dutch Lady do to ensure its products have quality matching “Dutch standards”? Dutch Lady and its agricultural extension staff exhort farmers to monitor quality, do quality tests and adopt the ‘good cow breeding practices’ model recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The staff have been trained professionally in the Netherlands. Moreover, the system of monitoring and ensuring quality of fresh milk meets ISO 22000 standards for stringent monitoring through the chain from buying milk from farms to factories.

To improve the quality of fresh milk, Dutch Lady has set up and developed Foqus, a company-wide system of managing quality and food safety. Foqus includes strict quality control processes at all stages from breeding cows and milking to cooling, preserving, and distributing milk products. The closed process makes for safe, high-quality milk products that meet consumers’ expectations and Dutch standards. So Dutch Lady fresh milk is loved the world over.

Farmers are trained in breeding and controlling risks relating to cows’ health. 

Advances in the co-operation with farmers

Dutch standards are reflected by the company and farmers getting close to each other to form a large family. The long-term partnerships help teach farmers breeding skills and improve their incomes. Dutch Lady was one of the first companies in Việt Nam to reward farmers for milk with low levels of contamination to incentivise them to improve breeding and milk quality.

The company pays attention to how farmers breed and take care of cows, and exploit and preserve milk, provides them with technical counselling and teaches them breeding hygiene and preventive measures against cattle diseases and treatment through experts professionally trained in the Netherlands.

Since arriving in Việt Nam, Dutch Lady has tied up with more than 2,000 farmers who provide nearly 170 tonnes of milk daily.

Dutch Lady, the Hà Nam Province People’s Committee, and other partners have carried out a project for developing sustainable cow breeding areas with two farms operating successfully there. They serve as models for other farms in the province. 

Dutch Lady fresh milk.