EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. – Prairie Farms Dairy unveiled four new products, each of them free of lactose.

The company said it considers lactose-free dairy products an underserved category, and it produced new lactose-free options for its whole and 2% milk, as well as cottage cheese and sour cream.

“With the introduction of lactose-free milk in conventional gallons, we’re not tapping into a trend, but instead normalizing the lactose free-category,” said Matt McClelland, Prairie Farms Dairy’s chief executive officer and executive vice president. “By this, I mean we’re addressing the affordability and accessibility of fresh lactose-free milk by offering a family-size gallon.”

Owned by dairy farmers, the company said its milk travels an average of 200 miles or less from family farms to its dairy plants. Prairie Farms Dairy shared that its process for the new products involves a natural enzyme, which breaks down the lactose.

The lactose-free products, first introduced via an April soft launch in the St. Louis, Mo., area, will make their way to other Midwest retailers in June.

McClelland said: “As one of America’s most successful farmer-owned dairy cooperatives, we’re committed to meeting the needs of all consumers, and what I’d like to say to those who have left the category due to lactose sensitivity is, ‘The wait is over. Bring on the Prairie Farms milk.’ And we’re not stopping there, because a lot of people are missing out on the unrivaled great taste of Prairie Farms’ award-winning cottage cheese and sour cream. With our new lactose-free options, they too can enjoy the nutrition and versatility that only 100% real dairy can deliver.”