Arla Big Milk

Arla has continued its push into the added-value category with the launch today (21 April) of the UK’s first fresh milk enriched with nutrients for toddlers.

Arla Big Milk is filtered, made with 100% British whole cow’s milk, naturally rich in calcium, and contains added vitamin D, iron and vitamin A, said category director Start Ibberson, who added that it had been developed to specifically meet the needs of children from ages one to five.

The product went on sale this week in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose (Rsp: £2.25/2l), and will be supported by a £2m integrated marketing campaign which includes advertising, in-store promotions, social media and a collaboration with online network Mumsnet.

The launch follows the recent unveiling of Arla Protein and Arla Skyr, and was part of the dairy co-operative’s strategy to support British farmers by “developing innovative products to add value to the milk category”, Arla said.

“This is a truly innovative fresh milk product,” said Ibberson, which had been developed after identifying “a gap in the market to support parents making the switch to fresh cows’ milk”.

“Being owned by farmers, it’s also important that we make the most from their milk,” he added.

Arla announced on 26 March that it was increasing the price it paid to UK famers for their milk by 0.83ppl to 25.8ppl from 30 March – the first rise by a major milk processor since last year.