Swedish company Ceba Foods has launched a non-dairy alternative to milk and soya drinks on the Spanish market this week. The product, called Oatly Organic, is free from lactose, milk protein and soya, and the company claims, more wholesome with breakfast cereals, in coffee or with other foods.
Oatly Organic is made from oats, water and rapeseed oil, all organically grown and certified by KRAV, the Swedish organisation for organic production. It contains no additives or raw materials that have been genetically modified.
The product also has a long shelf life when unopened and can be kept at room temperature. Ceba said it has a neutral taste and is also heat stable.
Developed by researchers at the University of Lund, where the company's R&D is also located, the liquid oat product has been patented and retails at €2.70. It is packaged in Tetra-Brik cartons.
Ceba Foods is partly owned by a research team in Lund and by Svenska Lantmannen (the Swedish Farmers' Supply and Crop Marketing Association). Skanemejerier (the Skane Dairy) and a number of research funds invested in the company in 2001. The export market accounts for around 50 per cent of Ceba's sales.