Last updated 17/01/2024
We are unable to recommend specific brands, but a quick check of the Nutrition Information Panel will reveal the sugar and calcium content.
Plain milk contains, on average, about 5g/100mL of naturally occurring sugar (lactose). Plain milk has no added sugar and are therefore lower in total sugar compared with flavoured milks. It’s important to remember that when you read the label of a plain milk carton and see “sugars” that this is referring to the naturally occurring lactose sugar in milk. For this reason, lactose free milks will have lower figures in the “sugars” column.
Like plain milk, flavoured milk provides important nutrients to the diet. A range of flavoured milk with varying sugar levels are available. Some of these products contain alternative sweeteners, and therefore have a lower sugar content.
Cow’s milk is naturally a good source of calcium. Dairy manufacturers can also add extra calcium to cow’s milk to boost nutrient levels within the parameters set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand.1 Finding a brand of milk with boosted calcium is as easy as comparing two labels and looking at the per 100mL column, which will give you the percentage of calcium in the product. Some milks also make claims on pack about added calcium. Due to the composition changes when making reduced fat milk, the percentage of calcium can naturally increase.
