Unlock the Benefits of our Natural Dairy Claims

New Zealand is known worldwide as a place of natural beauty, purity and farming excellence. We farm the way nature intended, and our cows graze lush, green pastures, breathing fresh air and enjoying the space to roam and socialise. New Zealand’s more natural, pasture-based farming system helps provide us with one of the lowest on-farm carbon footprints in the world. 

This enables us to deliver unique Natural Dairy claims to you, our customers, helping you to renovate your current product range, differentiate your products, and build a relationship with conscious consumers. Our Cared for Cows claim, in particular, offers the chance to engage with consumers who are concerned with the impact of products they buy on animal wellbeing.

Why Natural Dairy claims are important

Around the world, we are seeing the rise of a new type of consumer — the conscious consumer. These are people who are highly interested in the provenance of the products they use and buy, particularly around issues of environmental impact, sustainability and animal wellbeing. Studies have shown that around 45% of consumers have changed their diet to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle¹, and 53% want food and drinks brands to do more to protect the planet². These conscious consumers are willing to pay a premium to support products that get sustainability and animal wellbeing right.

Our Natural Dairy claims allow you to engage these consumers and gain a competitive advantage. They include a Grass-Fed dairy claim which informs consumers that the dairy or dairy ingredients in your product come from cows that graze on pasture — as nature intended. This resonates deeply with consumers, with research from China, the US, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East that shows they believe grass-fed dairy is “more natural”.^{5, 6, 7}

Because our Natural Dairy claims are independently certified by a New Zealand Government owned organisation, AsureQuality, they satisfy the need for transparency that consumers are seeking when they read labels on products.

Cared for Cows Claim — leveraging our animal wellbeing focus

Cared for Cows is a new claim we are launching to customers and is part of our Natural Dairy claim suite — one that our method of pasture-based dairying and the commitment of our dairy farmers allows us to make. Based on the independently certified Fonterra Cared for Cows standard, it represents our approach to animal wellbeing — an approach that starts with the way our farmers care for their cows and runs through our entire Co-operative. 

Animal wellbeing, the Fonterra way.

Cows are the heart of every dairy farm, and their wellbeing means everything to our farmers. Our cows are valued and treated with respect throughout their lives, ensuring they are healthy, productive, and content. This approach to animal wellbeing is one of the reasons why New Zealand cows live longer than cows pretty much anywhere else in the world.

The space to live naturally 

Our dairy cows live their lives as naturally as possible, roaming their paddocks in our beautiful green landscape. Because New Zealand enjoys a temperate climate that is perfectly suited to growing grass, our cows have access to their natural food source year-round. And because they're outside in the fresh air, surrounded by grass, they can choose when to eat, drink and who to socially interact with. Each cow has access to 3,500m2 of pasture. That’s over half a football field! 

Socialising in the herd

Cows are herd animals, and so the ability to socialise freely with other cows is important for their wellbeing. Choosing to socialise with their friends is easy, all they have to do is walk across to the cows they want to mix with.  

Better care through dedication and data

Our cows benefit from the dedication and care of our farmers, and a system designed to ensure their wellbeing is front and centre. The Cared for Cows standard requires all Fonterra NZ farmers to provide annual data on animal health, wellbeing indicators and farm practices. The data allows Fonterra to measure animal wellbeing on every farm and includes a host of indicators such as incidence of lameness and mastitis, bulk somatic cell counts and milk production data. Any farms at risk of developing animal welfare issues are identified and supported to ensure their performance improves.

How you can use our Cared For Cows and other Natural Dairy claims

As an NZMP customer licensing our Natural Dairy claims, you receive comprehensive marketing support and assets. The collateral includes on-pack labelling and icons, an extensive library of video and beautiful images shot on Fonterra New Zealand farms, and more. These assets will help you tell the story of our (and your) natural dairy credentials in a compelling and engaging way.