Special Diets and Allergies 
Digestive Health CO2 Rbst Free Farmer Cheese
Q: Where can I find Friendship products?
A: Friendship All Natural products are available at many retail stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. Some stores in other markets carry select Friendship products.
Click here to find stores that carry Friendship products in your area.
Q: Do you sell your products online or facilitate mail order?
A: Not directly. But all of our Friendship products are sold online at Amazon.com and our farmer cheese may be purchased online at www.bluesealkielbasa.com or mail ordered from Chicopee Provisions at 1-800-924-6328.
Q: How long are the Friendship Dairy Products good for?
A: For best quality, all Friendship products should be consumed within 3–5 days once opened (farmer cheese: 3 days).
Q: Can any Friendship products be frozen?
A: We don’t recommend freezing our cottage cheese, sour cream, or buttermilk, as the taste and texture may be adversely affected after it thaws. But our farmer cheese can be frozen up to 3 months successfully. Simply place it in a sealable freezer bag before freezing.
Q: Are any of your products certified Kosher?
A: Yes. All of them are.
Q: Are Friendship products considered vegetarian?
A: Yes. All Friendship products conform to vegetarian diet standards. No animal-based cultures or enzymes are used in Friendship products.
Q: Are any of your products gluten free?
A: Yes. All of them are.
Q: Are any Friendship products low in lactose?
A: Yes. Friendship Farmer Cheese. As we make it, much of the lactose separates from the curd and simply drains off. The result produces a cheese product that is very low in lactose, containing less than 0.5% per 1 oz. serving. Friendship Farmer Cheese follows the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) guidelines.
Q: What are probiotics?
A: The term probiotic means "for life." It’s a live microbial food supplement that improves intestinal microbial balance. These beneficial bacterial cultures (Bifidobacterium) can help boost the levels of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria in the gut, support good digestive health, and provide a barrier against harmful bacteria.
Q: What is Bifidobacterium?
A: Bifidobacterium, one of the most recognized and researched strains of beneficial bacteria, is known to aid in the production and absorption of certain vitamins (especially vitamin K and vitamin B, biotin), breaks down non-digestible fiber for its own nourishment, and overall supports good digestive health. The Bifidobacterium (BB12®)* contained within Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese has been clinically shown to survive the journey through the digestive system (including withstanding stomach and bile acid), maintaining its live (active) state as it reaches the large intestine.
*BB12 is a registered trademark of Chr. Hansen.
Q: What are prebiotics (inulin)?
A: Inulin is a natural prebiotic (soluble) dietary fiber. It is a non-digestible carbohydrate (resistant to digestion/absorption in the stomach and small intestine) that offers digestive regulating benefits by way of being fermented (eaten up) by beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.
Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains an enriched inulin naturally derived from chicory root (oligofructose-enriched inulin). This enriched probiotic fiber helps fuel beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, therefore stimulating the growth and the activity of the good bacteria. Research indicates that increased numbers of the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium may help support reduced incidence of diarrhea and constipation.*
Additionally, oligofructose-enriched inulin has been shown to have increased support for calcium absorption and bone health over regular inulin.*
* Research published in the Journal of Nutritional Food (2000) indicates that fermented milk containing 1-3 billion of Bifidobacterium a day may help reduce the incidence of diarrhea and constipation. Studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005) and British Journal of Nutrition (2002) shows that oligofructose-enriched inulin (fiber) intake as low as 8 grams per day helps support calcium absorption. Friendship Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains 3 grams of oligofructose-enriched inulin per serving.
Q: How much probiotics and prebiotic fiber is contained in one serving of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese?
A: One 4 oz. serving (about 1/2 cup) of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains one billion live (active) probiotic Bifidobacterium cultures and a good source of fiber (oligofructose-enriched inulin) at 3 grams per serving.
Q: How much Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese should I eat a day?
A: Probiotics: One (1/2 cup) serving of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains one billion BB12® Bifidobacterium cultures. Results of multiple clinical studies published in the Journal of Nutritional Food involving different age groups, demonstrated an improvement in digestive health when consuming 1-3 billion BB12® Bifidobacterium (beneficial bacteria cultures) per day.
Prebiotic Fiber: Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains 3 grams of inulin per one (1/2 cup) serving. Published human clinical studies in Nutrition Research showed that consuming 5 grams of the natural prebiotic fiber inulin per day helps support digestive health by stimulating Bifidobacterium (good bacteria).
It is reported that most adults do not meet their recommended daily fiber needs. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of total dietary fiber for adults 19–50 years of age is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Older adults requires less per day. The RDA of dietary fiber for children aged 4–8 is 25 grams per day. Remember, when increasing your fiber intake, do it gradually and drink plenty of water.
Q: Is Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese suitable for adults and kids?
A: Absolutely. But please consult with your physician if you are pregnant or if you have any medical health issues or concerns.
Q: Is the fiber contained in Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese suitable for diabetics?
A: The natural prebiotic fiber (oligofructose-enriched inulin) in Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese belongs to the non-digestible food fibers group. Non-digestible means that it can not be digested in the small intestine, therefore it does not influence the blood glucose levels. However as diabetics must take into account other carbohydrates that do affect blood glucose, it is important to know that Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese also contains 2 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup serving. See our nutritional facts for more information.
Q: Is carbon dioxide (CO2) safe?
A: CO2 is an FDA approved and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) additive. It is legal and safe to use this ingredient in cottage cheese.
Similar science has been used in soda (through the carbonation process and the dissolving of carbon dioxide) for more than a century. The CO2 found in cottage cheese is at a much lower level than soda.
Q: Why is CO2 used?
A: CO2 is organically found in cow’s milk but is depleted in the production of cottage cheese. In other dairy products like buttermilk and sour cream, CO2 occurs as a natural by-product of the production process; therefore CO2 is naturally found within these products. By adding a small amount back into cottage cheese, CO2 serves as a natural preservative, inhibiting the growth of bacteria, molds and yeasts that cause spoilage. CO2 helps assure the shelf-life and improve the quality of our products without the use of artificial preservatives or changing the texture or taste of our products in any way. There are several dairy products, including organic products that contain supplemental CO2 to help maintain freshness.
Q: How much CO2is in a serving?
A: Very little. The CO2 we breathe in the air is at the same concentration level as in our cottage cheese. In fact, a serving of cottage cheese only has 10% of the CO2 normally found in a serving of beer, soda or champagne.
Q: What is rbST?
A: rbST (also called rbGH), is a genetically engineered replica of bovine growth hormone (bGH). All cow’s milk contains natural growth hormones (bST), an inherent hormone that stimulates milk production. The FDA has found that there is no significant difference between milk derived from rbST treated and non-treated cows.
We ask that our milk and cream suppliers provide documentation and follow the uniform guidance regarding the use of synthetic growth hormones which was issued by the FDA in 1994. This guidance assures consumers that the dairy product claims are truthful and not misleading.
However, there currently is not a test that can determine if the bovine growth hormone in the animal is natural or synthetic.
Q: Why is rbST used to treat cows?
A: Some farmers choose to use supplemental growth hormones through a carefully managed process to increase a cow’s milk production. This practice is not believed to harm the cows. Treatment typically boosts cows' milk output by up to 15 percent, and about one third of U.S. dairy cows are now injected with rbST.
Q: Does Friendship product contain rbST or artificial growth hormones?
A: Friendship receives the majority of its fresh milk daily from many local Upstate NY and Pennsylvania area farmers who assure us that they do not use rbST to boost the amount of milk they produce. However, in order for our plant to maintain an adequate supply of milk, we also source a small amount of milk from milk supply cooperatives. Until these milk supply cooperatives get on board and require their members to provide affidavits that they do not use synthetic growth hormones, we can not guarantee that our milk comes from cows that are 100% rbST free.
Q: Does Friendship products contain antibiotics?
A: None of our dairies accept milk from cows that have been treated with antibiotics. All milk is tested upon arrival at our plant. It is returned immediately if it tests positive for antibiotics.
Q: What is farmer cheese?
A: Farmer cheese is cultured from reduced fat milk (a combination of skim milk and cream), making it nutritionally equivalent to dry curd cottage cheese. Farmer cheese is low in lactose, with less than 0.5%. Regular Farmer Cheese has a small amount of salt added. It’s a nice dairy option for those who follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) guidelines or watch their diets due to digestive concerns and/or aversion to lactose.
Q: How should I store Friendship Farmer Cheese once opened?
A: Open the original wrapper only when you intend to use it. The wrapper is an excellent seal, and is the best way to preserve the product. After it’s opened, wrap any remaining cheese very tightly in plastic wrap, and place in a sealable freezer bag. For added protection, try using an airtight plastic container as well. Once the package is open and stored properly, the cheese should keep for 3 days. Repeated opening and exposure to air may shorten that time.
Q: Why doesn’t Friendship Farmer Cheese contain calcium?
A: In the process of making this pressed curd cheese, the calcium becomes very soluble and drains off from the curd.
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