Friendship Dairies - Our Products

Where can I find Friendship products?
Friendship All Natural products are available at many retail stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, 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.

Are any of your products Gluten Free?
With the exception of Toasted Onion Flavored Sour Cream, all Friendship products are Gluten Free.

Are Friendship products considered Vegetarian?
All Friendship products conform to vegetarian Diet standards. No animal-based cultures or enzymes are used in Friendship products.

Are any Friendship products Low in Lactose?
The predominant carbohydrate in milk is lactose (milk sugar) therefore most milk-based products contain lactose. However by way of making Friendship Farmer Cheese, much of the lactose separates from the curd and simply drains off. The result produce 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.

How long after the code date is Friendship Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream and Buttermilk good for?
The code date on our products refers to the last day that a product may be offered for sale at a store. If a product is unopened and refrigerated properly, the product should remain good for approximately one week past the expiration date. Once opened, these products should be consumed as quickly as possible due to their perishable nature.

Do you sell your products online or facilitate mail-order?
Due to the perishable nature of Friendship products, we do not sell our products directly to consumers. However, all of our Friendship products are sold online at Amazon.com and our Farmer Cheese and Hoop Cheese may be purchased online at www.bluesealkielbasa.com or mail ordered from Chicopee Provisions at 1-800-924-6328.

Can any of the Friendship products be frozen?
We do not recommend freezing our Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream and/or Buttermilk, as the taste and texture may be adversely affected. However, our Farmer Cheese and Hoop Cheese can be frozen up to 6-12 months successfully.

What is Farmer Cheese?
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 at less than 0.5%. Regular Farmer Cheese has a small amount of salt added, but is also available in a "no salt added" variety. And for those who follow the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet" (SCD) guidelines or watch their diets due to digestive concerns and/or aversion to lactose, Farmer Cheese is very low in lactose containing less than 0.5% lactose.

How should I store Farmer Cheese once opened?
There are several things to keep in mind when using this product: Do not open the original wrapper until you intend to use it. The wrapper is an excellent seal, and is the best way to preserve the product. When opening the package, wrap any remaining cheese very tightly in plastic wrap. For added protection, you may want to use an airtight plastic container as well. Once the package is open, the cheese should keep for at least 5 days, when wrapped properly and stored under proper refrigeration. Repeated opening and exposure to air may shorten that time.

Unlike other Friendship products why does Farmer Cheese not contain calcium?
Similar to lactose, in the process of making this pressed curd cheese, the Calcium becomes very soluble and drains off from the curd.

How does Farmer Cheese differ from Hoop Cheese?
Farmer Cheese is made from lowfat milk (1.5% milkfat) and has salt added to the regular variety. Hoop Cheese is typically made from skim milk and has no salt added.

Why should I include Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese in my Daily Diet?
Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains "Pro-Active" nutrients including live (active) probiotics (good-for-you bacteria) and prebiotic fiber (food for beneficial bacteria) that when incorporated as part of a healthy dietary regimen, can help regulate and enhance digestive and bone health.

What are Probiotics?
The term probiotic means "for life" as opposed to the term antibiotic. A commonly used definition of a probiotic is a live microbial food supplement that beneficially affects the host (person or animal) by improving its intestinal microbial balance. Probiotics are beneficial bacterial cultures, such as Bifidobacterium, that can help boost the levels of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria in the gut, support good digestive health, and in healthful quantities can provide a barrier effect against inherent and invading species of harmful bacteria.

What is Bifidobacterium?
Bifidobacterium is one of the most recognized and highly researched strains of beneficial bacteria. This beneficial bacterium resides primarily in the large intestine (specifically the colon) and is abundant in individuals after birth, but decreases over time with age and is replaced by other bacteria species. Bifidobacterium 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); therefore maintaining its live (active) state as it reaches the large intestine.

*BB12 is a registered trademark of Chr. Hansen

What are Prebiotics (Inulin)?
Inulin (not to be confused with insulin) is a natural prebiotic dietary fiber. Specifically it is a non-digestible carbohydrate that provides fuel for beneficial bacteria, thereby helping to stimulate the growth and the activity of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium. A common source of prebiotic inulin is the chicory root since it has one of the highest concentrations of this prebiotic fiber; although other resources include Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, among many others. Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains an enriched inulin naturally derived from chicory root (oligofructose-enriched inulin). This enriched probiotic fiber helps stimulate beneficial bacteria, and has been shown to have increased support for calcium absorption and bone health over regular inulin.*

* 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.

How much Probiotics (good-for-you bacteria) and Prebiotic Fiber is contained in one serving of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese?
One 4 oz serving (about 1/2 cup) of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains 1 Billion live (active) probiotic Bifidobacterium cultures and a good source of fiber (oligofructose-enriched inulin) at 3 grams per serving.

How Much Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese should I eat a day to help Support Digestive Health?
Probiotics: One (1/2 cup) serving of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese contains 1 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.

Currently there are no established Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) guidelines for probiotics in the United States; however the BB12® Bifidobacteruim cultures contained in Friendship Digestive Health Cottage Cheese are "Generally Recognized as Safe" in the U.S. based on its history of safe use in human consumption and clinical trials.

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 fiver 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. Note -- when increasing your fiber intake you should do so gradually to allow your body to adjust to the increased levels and drink plenty of water.

Is the Fiber contained in Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese suitable for Diabetics?
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.

Is Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese suitable for Adults and Kids?
Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese is safe and suitable for the whole family. As always you should consult with your physician if you are pregnant or if you have any medical health issues or concerns.

Where can I buy Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese?
This NEW product is currently available in many NY and NJ retail stores and some stores in Upstate NY, Florida, Massachusetts and Connecticut markets. Since our list of retailers is growing, please contact us for a full list of retailers. You can always request that your preferred store carry Friendship Digestive Health Cottage Cheese by making the request directly with the dairy manager at the store.

What size / variety of Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese does Friendship currently offer?
Friendship All Natural Digestive Health Cottage Cheese is currently available in 16oz plain, lowfat (2% Milkfat) small curd.