Maeil Dairies, 'Easily Digestible Milk' Cumulative Sales Reach 800 Million Units... "No.1 Lactose-Free Milk"

Equivalent to circling the Earth twice based on a 190mL product size

Maeil Dairies' lactose-free milk "Easily Digestible Milk" announced on the 29th that its cumulative sales have surpassed 800 million units.

"Easily Digestible Milk" has played an important role in pioneering and popularizing the domestic lactose-free market by educating Korean consumers, who previously experienced discomfort when drinking milk, about lactose and health information, as well as the advantages of lactose-free dairy products that remove lactose.

As a result, the domestic lactose-free milk market (based on Nielsen data) grew more than twice from around 30 billion KRW in 2019 to approximately 87 billion KRW last year. Among this, "Easily Digestible Milk" holds about a 44% market share, securing the number one position in the domestic lactose-free milk market.

The reason consumers feel discomfort when drinking regular milk can be attributed to lactose, a natural component of milk. If the body lacks the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose, consuming dairy products can cause discomfort such as stomach pain, bloating, and gas. The solution is to drink milk with lactose removed, and lactose-free milk is the best choice regardless of other nutritional components like milk protein.

In particular, "Easily Digestible Milk" applies a differentiated production method among domestic lactose-free milk products. Instead of the commonly used lactase enzyme production method to remove lactose, Maeil Dairies uniquely uses the patented UF (Ultra Filtration) process in Korea. When using lactase enzymes, lactose is broken down into galactose and glucose, resulting in a sweet taste in the milk, but Maeil Dairies was the first in Korea to use membrane filtration technology to remove only lactose through a fine filter, preserving the original savory taste and nutrition of the milk.

A Maeil Dairies representative said, "‘Easily Digestible Milk’ has firmly held the number one position for nearly 20 years since its launch," and added, "As a leading brand that pioneered and popularized the Korean lactose-free milk market, we will continue efforts to grow the lactose-free dairy product market so that everyone can enjoy dairy products without worry."