Today we want to highlight the achievements made in the last year by the LACTOSE INTOLERANT ASSOCIATION (ADILAC) , an organization that has certified Aljoma hams and shoulders since 2010 as 100% lactose-free productsin any of their formats and, therefore, suitable for consumption by people who show intolerance to this substance.
During 2014, Adilac undertook significant outreach and expansion efforts. With the aim of connecting existing associations and initiatives worldwide, it launched the LIGN (Lactose Intolerance Global Network) platform through the website www.nolactose.org . Furthermore, its own website, http://www.lactosa.org/, reached record numbers of visits (391,000), representing a 45% increase over the previous year.
The association has launched the INFOLACTOSA product search engine and the Platform for people with food intolerances and allergies (currently with Celiacs Catalonia and Immunitas Vera) for actions and positions before the Administration and society.
In the field of dissemination, they have finished preparing the second expanded edition of the book 'The Milky Life' which will be published for distribution in Spain, South America and the USA, in paper and ebook format.
The Aljomar Ham Quality Department works diligently to offer consumers healthy products suitable for everyone. The treatment Aljomar products, in this case hams and shoulders , receive guarantees a 100% complete absence of lactose , which is eliminated through a careful washing and fermentation process. This procedure has been certified by an independent laboratory and accepted by Adilac, which considers our products to be of interest to its members. Therefore, our company displays the official 'Lactose-Free'seal on the packaging of its hams and shoulders and is firmly committed to promoting and collaborating on the association's initiatives and promotional activities. For the other Aljomar products— chorizos, salchichones, lomos , etc.—which do contain lactose, the quality department maintains a strict labeling policy, in accordance with Royal Decree 1169/2011 , highlighting allergens in bold type for easy identification by the consumer.
Adilac has several certification seals; in the NO LACTOSE seal , 6 new brands were incorporated in 2014, the year in which the new NO LACTOSE RECOMMENDED ESTABLISHMENT seal was launched for Shops and Restaurants that offer suitable and recommended products for lactose intolerant consumers.
Lactose intolerance is not a serious illness, but it does significantly limit the daily lives of those affected. When lactose-intolerant people consume foods containing this sugar, they experience severe abdominal pain, gas, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
Around 80 percent of the world's adult population, and 15 percent of the Spanish population, suffer from lactose intolerance, a condition that affects the intestinal mucosa and prevents the digestion of lactose (milk sugar) due to a deficiency of an enzyme called lactase.
Lactose is found primarily in milk and dairy products. But it's also "hidden" in many processed foods, such as sausages, cold cuts, breads, purees, soups, and even as an excipient in most medications. This is where the main danger lies for those with lactose intolerance, hence the importance of labeling.
