FAQs on milk and Friso products

1. Does milk fit in a healthy diet?

Absolutely. Milk has extraordinary nutritional value. Few nutrients contain such a wide range of vital nutrients as milk. That’s why milk makes an important contribution towards the intake of many nutrients and fits in with a healthy diet.

2. Does milk contain carbohydrates?

Yes. Carbohydrates are mainly a source of energy. In addition, we need them to maintain a healthy hormone balance.

3. Does milk contain fats?

Yes. But, the fat content in cow’s milk varies. It depends on, among other things, the season, the feed given to the cow and the breed of cow. Milk fat is a natural fat, which contains different types of fatty acids.

4. Does milk contain protein?

Yes. The composition of protein in milk precisely matches what the body needs. We need protein to generate energy, to grow and to repair muscles and organs. Protein also has a positive effect on blood pressure and the health of our skin.

5. How much milk does my child need to drink everyday to get enough nutrition?

Generally three glasses are recommended a day. But at the same time, you also need other foods to ensure that your child maintains a healthy and balanced diet.

6. How much milk is being consumed in the world?

In western countries, people eat and drink an average of 240 to 250 kilos of dairy produce per person per year. This is measured in milk equivalents (i.e. the processed quantity of milk). In non-western countries in Asia and Africa, dairy consumption amounts to over 60 kilos per person per year. Dairy consumption in non-western countries is growing faster than it is in the west.

My child and milk

1. My child suffers from constipation. Can I dilute the milk?

No, the milk should not be diluted to ensure that your child gets the maximum nutrients from the milk. It is more advisable to give extra water in between feeding times.

2. Can milk powder be prepared with cold water?

Although preparation in cold water does no harm to the milk formula, it is advisable to follow the instructions for use, i.e. preparation with warm water. When the formula is prepared with cold water, the powder might not be properly dissolved.

3. What is the difference between Friso Step 3 and Friso Step 4?

There are slight differences in terms of nutritional profile of both milk formulations. Friso Step 3 is specially formulated for growing up children between aged 1 to 3 years old while Friso Step 4 is specially formulated for growing up children age 3 to 9 years old.

4. When my child reaches 6 years old, can he continue with Friso Step 4? How long can he continue drinking?

Your child can still continue with Friso Step 4, as it is a good practice to ensure that your child has the habit of drinking milk. Milk is no longer being served as the main nutrient source / food for your child at his age now because he is required to take variety of solid foods. Milk is an important complementary food for him to supply him the crucial nutrients which he may not have sufficient intake from his daily diet. It is advisable that your child drinks 2 to 3 glasses of Friso Step 4 every day. Friso Step 4 is specially formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of children aged 3 to 9 years old.

5. I came across an article about some children who cannot drink cow’s milk because they are Lactose Intolerance. What is that?

Alongside all its valuable nutrients, milk also contains milk sugar or in scientific terms known as lactose. Lactose provides the necessary energy needed for your body. When you drink milk, your body breaks down the lactose to two other simple sugars so that it will be absorbed by your body as energy. Your body needs an enzyme called lactase to do this. Some people lack the lactase enzyme that can convert lactose (milk sugar). These people are known to have Lactose Intolerance.

Lactose intolerance means that you cannot digest foods with lactose in them. After eating foods with lactose in them, you may feel sick, have gas, diarrhea and swelling in your stomach.

However, consuming fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, cheese and butter, do not cause any problems since they no longer contain any lactose.

I am worried about the sugar level in my child’s Growing Up Milk

1. I didn't know that Growing Up Milk need to have sugars. Why?

First of all, we need to understand that children of growing up age needs some source of energy to help them grow. Main sources of energy are carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are important, because it is the main source of energy that is needed for good growth and development of the body and the brain, especially for growing children.

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. Milk, which is a natural product in itself, also contains sugar known as lactose. It is this sugar (lactose) in milk, which helps your child to grow. Therefore, all Growing Up Milk will contain some form of sugars.

2. Tell me about the sugars in Friso Growing Up Milk.

There are two types of sugars most commonly found in Growing Up Milk powder. First, the naturally occurring sugars in milk, which are called lactose. Second, there are added sugars, which are natural plant sugars.

Friso Growing Up Milk has a combination of lactose and added plant sugars. This is because, at Friso, we always strive to develop Growing Up Milk products which can help bridge the nutritional gap of the children. By providing an optimally and nutritionally balanced Growing Up Milk coupled with a healthy daily meal, it will help your child to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet which is important for his/her growth.

3. So, why does Friso have 'added sugar' in their Growing Up Milk powder?

All Friso Growing Up Milk products are fully in compliance with Malaysia's draft standard for Growing Up Milk, Malaysia's Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2005 and World Health Organization (WHO) 2003 recommendation.

Friso Growing Up Milk is nutritionally designed using a combination of naturally occurring sugars in milk i.e. lactose and also added natural plant sugars in order to maintain the natural ratio of lactose in milk. Based on years of research, we found that it is important that our Growing Up Milk is optimally formulated. Our research reveals that products which are not optimally formulated, for example those with high lactose are not well tolerated by Malaysian children. Some children who consume high lactose milk may develop the following complications such as diarrhea, bloating (due to too much gas) as a result of the inability of their body to metabolize the excess lactose.

4. I am concerned about my child's sugar intake from his Growing Up Milk powder. How does the sugar content in Friso’s Growing Up Milk compare with the other brands that claim 'no added sugar'?

All Friso products are the result of extensive research. They have been developed as balanced nutritional formulas and are recommended dairy supplements to your child’s daily diet.

Friso Growing Up Milk has approximately 20% to 36% less total sugars (per 100mg milk powder) compared to brands who claim 'no added sugar'. In fact, the sugar levels in Friso Growing Up Milk are well within the recommended Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) 2005 level as well as within the World Health Organization (WHO) 2003 recommendation.

Lactose and ‘added sugar’, which is the natural form of plant sugar, are all sugars.

Total sugar of Friso Growing Up Milk is approximately 20% to 36% less (per 100mg milk powder) than brands who claim they have 'no added sugar'.

5. I read some brands that 'have no added sugar' implied that other brands like Friso have a lot of 'added sugar' in their Growing Up Milk and this is unhealthy for my child. Is this true?

Growing Up Milk brands that claim 'no added sugar' only talks about 'added sugar' (which we explained are plant sugars). However, they do not talk about the overall total sugar content in their milk. Parents should look at the total sugar content in their child's Growing Up Milk.

Total sugar includes both the naturally occurring sugar in milk which is lactose and the added natural plant sugars. Even though Friso has added natural plant sugars in our Growing Up Milk, our Growing Up Milk powder has a much lower total sugar content compared to brands who claim that they have ‘no added sugar'.

6. Is my child getting too much sugar from Friso Growing Up Milk?

Rest assured that your child is not getting too much sugar from our Friso Growing Up Milk as all our Growing Up Milk products are made in full compliance with Malaysia’s draft standard for Growing Up Milk, Malaysia RNI 2005 and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2003 recommendations.

7. In terms of sugar intake, what should I really be concerned about?

We understand that parents are worried about the effect of excessive sugar consumption in your child's diet which could lead to tooth decay, childhood obesity as well as diabetes.

If you are worried about this, apart from ensuring that your child minimize the intake of high in sugar food or snacks such as that occasional bar of chocolate, you will also will need to look at total sugar level in your child's Growing Up Milk and not the added sugar level.

There is no difference in terms of calorific value between lactose and other added natural sugars.

8. I came across a website in Malaysia where it provides a model to calculate sugar by looking at Carbohydrate content of Growing Up Milk's nutritional information. When I key in Friso's Growing Up Milk's carbohydrate content, your product would have 7-10 teaspoons of added sugar. Please explain.

We are not at liberty to explain how the website makes its calculation. We believe that possibly the calculation method is misleading. In terms of total sugar content, Friso Growing Up Milk has approximately 20% to 36% less total sugars (per 100mg milk powder) compared to brands who claims 'no added sugar'.

9. Is Friso planning to reduce its added sugar in its Growing Up Milk products?

We firmly believe that the added natural plant sugars in our Growing Up Milk is necessary to ensure optimally balanced formulation so that it provides adequate carbohydrate (energy source) for a growing child. The level of the total sugars in our Growing Up Milk is not excessive. It is well within the recommended Malaysia Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) 2005 and World Health Organization (WHO) 2003 recommendations.