Earlier this year, Lancaster Local, a Pennsylvania community of farmers who produce high-quality Grade-A milk, was getting ready to release its new organic milk with A2A2 protein. Lancaster Local’s dairy products are sourced from grass-fed cows raised on small family-owned farms. Because the community works hard to provide the best farm-fresh milk in the area, it wanted to make sure it was bottling the milk in a way that protected that quality, freshness, taste and nutrients.

Lancaster Local didn’t want its milk’s high quality to decline before its expiration date — let alone in just 15 minutes — so it reached out to Wilmington, Del.-based Noluma International LLC to better understand how it could protect its products.  Noluma’s innovative light-protection technology stops the degradation of taste and nutrients caused by light exposure.

Lancaster Local learned from Noluma that in as little as an hour, retail and other indoor lights such as fluorescents and LEDs can degrade vitamins and nutrients, as well as overall quality and taste, in milk. After just 15 minutes of light exposure, there was a noticeable change in milk’s taste. Noluma’s research also found that:

• After two hours of indoor light expose, milk begins to lose vitamin A.
• After 16 hours of indoor light exposure, milk lost 49% of its vitamin A.

Noluma used its patented technology to measure the existing bottle used by Lancaster Local and understand its current level of light protection. The companies then worked together, along with bottler Swiss Villa LLC, Wrightsville, Pa., to design light-protected bottles that preserve the nutrients, flavor and overall quality of Lancaster Local’s new organic milk throughout the full shelf life of the product. In just two months, a new bottle design was completed and ready for launch.

“With Noluma's technology, we were able to design a light-protected bottle that preserves the product's quality, nutritional contents and fresh flavor throughout its full shelf life,” said Philip Lehman, managing director, Swiss Villa. “Now, when Lancaster Local milk drinkers see the Noluma logo, they can trust [the bottle is] providing all the benefits listed on the label and more."

The light-protected Lancaster Local milk is now available for purchase in at select stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Delaware and New York.

"More milk-drinkers are looking for local, organic and farm-fresh dairy, but preserving these benefits can be difficult, especially in natural products," said Chris O'Grady, business director, North America, Noluma. "Noluma's technology means brands can promise consumers that the products they love will maintain their quality, freshness, flavor and nutrients throughout the product's shelf life. We are proud to partner with Swiss Villa and Lancaster Local to help set a new standard for packaging and light protection."

For more information about Noluma-certified light protection technology, visit Noluma.com.