Do you want to know which is the best brand of milk in Spain?
Animal milk is a food that accompanies human beings since the beginning of livestock. Although its consumption is currently in question due to the possible health problems it causes in some individuals, its current and historical nutritional value are unquestionable.
In this article we will comment on the 10 best milk brands in Spain , so that as a consumer you know how to better guide yourself to get the best dairy product available.
milk consumption
The consumption of milk from non-human animals is an ancient practice. It makes sense that a food as nutritious as that which sustains young mammals during their early stages of growth would also have benefits for us.
So much so, that a considerable portion of the human population has genetic adaptations that allow them to consume milk past the natural age at which we should consume it . People without these adaptations have difficulties and consequences of greater or lesser severity when consuming dairy products.
This difficulty in consumption is due to the fact that with age, we lose the ability to properly metabolize lactose, a typical milk sugar. This causes our intestinal bacteria, some of which are able to feed on lactose, to cause us some symptoms such as bloating, gas or diarrhea.
This partly explains the recent market in milk options, beyond skimmed and semi-skimmed, which are no longer obtained from other animals (such as goats, whose milk can also be consumed and is marketed to a lesser extent than cow’s milk). ) if not also from plants such as soybeans or rice.
Even so, in this article we will only talk about the best brands of cow’s milk, in particular their whole milk products .
- It might interest you: “Oat milk: properties, benefits and how to prepare it”
The 10 best milk brands in Spain
We will talk about these brands based on analyzes carried out by the OCU (Organization of consumers and users) in Spain on more than forty brands of cow’s milk.
This analysis was carried out studying the most representative brands with respect to consumption, considering both national and regional brands. The objective of the study was to determine and compare the quality of milk from different brands, using a battery of laboratory analyzes to observe parameters such as its composition and hygienic quality.
All the brands in this list are considered by the OCU as brands that offer a good quality product. Even so, there are some of them that stand out above the rest .
1. Land of flavor
Tierra de flavor milk emerged from the analysis as the best milk among the more than 40 brands analyzed . It is a milk originating from Castilla y León, a region of Spain that is proud of the quality of its agricultural products.
The marketing strategy of this brand is based on the high quality of its products, which is unequivocally demonstrated after the analysis of the OCU.
- All about dairy: “Dairy products: the 8 milk derivatives you should know”
2. Condis
The Condis supermarkets, founded by the late Ramón Condal Escudé, president of the Real Club Deportivo Español between 2011 and 2012 , made their appearance in Catalonia.
Condis milk surprises, since despite being a “white label” it manages to be placed in the top four of the ranking, obtaining the title of “master purchase” by the OCU.
3. Milsani (Aldi)
The Aldi supermarket brand has its origins in Germany, but its high-quality products and its great variety in terms of range of products, especially organic ones , have won a piece of the heart of many Spaniards.
Its milk is also considered, like Condis milk, as a master purchase, being one of the best milks analyzed in the OCU study.
4. Cowgirl
La Vaquera is also one of the brands that make up the top 4 in the OCU analysis of the best milks in Spain.
It is a brand of Galician production and distribution, economical and packaged by the Celta milk company.
5. Squire
Mercadona, a ubiquitous supermarket of Valencian origin, manages to position its Hacendado white-label milk as one of the best in Spain. Although it fell somewhat short in the whole milk category, Hacendado semi-skimmed milk has come to be classified as the best category at the State level according to some analyses.
Its low prices and high quality dairy products make the Hacendado brand one of the best milks for all budgets.
6. Llet Nostra
Llet Nostra is a Catalan milk brand, whose strategy also lies in trust in its products. It emerged in 2003, the result of an association between more than 200 farmers who decided to organize a product distribution platform .
Its high standards in terms of production, as well as its proximity consumption model, make it a good brand of milk if you also want to promote initiatives by companies that reduce their carbon footprint.
7. Celtic Milk
Leche Celta is a Galician dairy brand, with factories in various provinces in the north of Spain and also in Portugal. They are proud of their 2L milk containers (they were pioneers in Spain with this format), as well as the quality of their product.
They currently have the AENOR animal welfare certificate , which guarantees acceptable standards of treatment and health in dairy farms.
8. Asturian Milk Plant
This brand appears in Asturias in 1968 with the idea of being a large-scale dairy producer. It is a dairy giant of great antiquity in Spain, whose products are also of good quality.
Its current emphasis is on the pride of its traditional cattle production , with the cows being fed through grass.
9. Paschal
Brand that appeared shortly after Central Lechera Asturiana, in 1969. They also have the AENOR animal welfare certificate, which is currently the key point of their advertising campaign.
After all, if the cows give milk and we treat them well, it is logical that we obtain better quality dairy products .
10. Carrefour
And another white dairy brand ends our list, this time Carrefour milk .
The large number of private label products so well placed in a dairy quality ranking is surprising, but many times we get carried away by the popularity of brands without really knowing if their products are as good as they indicate.
Bibliographic references
- OCU report on the dairy quality of Spanish whole milk (2014). Extracted from https://www.ocu.org/milk
- Thorning, TK, Raben, A., Tholstrup, T., Soedamah-Muthu, SS, Givens, I., & Astrup, A. (2016). Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence. Food & nutrition research, 60.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.