FAQ
The Lact’Union cooperative is the result of the 2013 merger between the historic cooperatives VPM and Coop’Alliance. This merger is the culmination of a process of convergence led by the Boards of Directors of the two dairy cooperatives, building on the fundamental values already shared: trust, transparency and fairness.
How many dairy farmers are members of the Lact’Union cooperative?
Our cooperative has +500 dairy farmers, mainly located in the Hauts-de-France region.
What decision-making power do producers have?
Thanks to its cooperative status, the Lact’Union Group is committed to equality and transparency, whether towards its dairy producers, partners, employees or consumers; an approach clearly explained in the Governance Charter signed by management. Producers take part in all decisions concerning the life of the Group through General Meetings. Each member has one vote, regardless of the size of his or her farm. Producers elect the directors who make up the Board of Directors, which sets the monthly milk price according to the value of the cooperative and its subsidiaries. This fair remuneration enables them to ensure their quality of life.
Are your dairy farmers well paid?
Yes, the cooperative principle means that the price of milk is set monthly by the farmers themselves. This means that milk is fairly remunerated on a monthly basis, in line with market constraints. In 2024, Lact’Union was the 3rd French cooperative to offer the best milk price to its producers.
How do you ensure the well-being of cows and dairy farmers ?
Since 2017, 100% of our collected farms comply with the Charter of Good Breeding Practices access on: animal feed (providing animals with a healthy, balanced diet), animal health (preserving the health of the herd to ensure good-quality milk), social sustainability (guaranteeing the safety of people on farms), animal welfare (ensuring the comfort, shelter and health of the herd), milk production hygiene (Protecting milk quality through rigorous hygiene), animal traceability (Identifying each animal in order to trace any health problems) and the environment (Limiting the environmental impact of farms and adapting them to the effects of climate change). We also carry out animal welfare audits on all our farms, using the methodology defined by the Interprofession laitière and the “Boviwell” tool.
Is there a set number of cows per shed?
The number of cows per building can vary from one farm to another, depending on the size of the farm for example.
On average, each of our cooperative’s collection points has 70 cows, raised in accordance with the Charter of Good Breeding Practices
Where is your cooperative’s milk collected?
Lact’Union Group’s dairy farms are located in the Hauts-de-France region, where the temperate, oceanic climate is ideal for milk production. This climate also provides an abundance of high-quality fodder for the cows. Our farmers’ milk collection areas are located around +/-100km between our production sites.
How is milk transported from the farm to the factories ?
365 days a year, our dairy drivers collect milk using our 30 isothermal tanker trucks, ensuring that the quality of the milk is preserved until it arrives at our production sites. Special collections are reserved for organic and GMO-free milk.
How do you guarantee the absence of antibiotics in your milk?
As required by regulations, the milk from each producer and each truck is analyzed at each collection to validate the absence of antibiotics. If any cows are ill, their milk is systematically discarded and not collected. Our laboratories examine over 8,000 milk samples every month, ensuring the quality and safety of our raw material.
How many liters of milk are collected each year?
Every year, more than 220 million liters of milk are collected at our dairy cooperative’s 320 collection points.
Where are your products manufactured?
Our products are manufactured at our 3 production sites: LACTINOV ABBEVILLE (80), LACTINOV BRAINE (02) and BABYDRINK (80).
What are the different levers of innovation within the Lact’Union Group?
Our dedicated R&D team of engineers and technicians enables us to develop new products.
Why do our products have a long shelf life?
Once it arrives at the factory, the milk is only fat-adjusted and heat-treated. After pasteurization and sterilization at Ultra High Temperature (UHT), the milk is put in bottles or bricks under sterile conditions to ensure long shelf life. The combination of sterilization heat treatment and packaging under sterile conditions makes our products sterile and enables them to be kept for long periods at ambient temperature. The absence of additional treatment guarantees the healthiest milk possible.
Is milk good for health?
Milk is naturally source of Calcium, Protein, Phosphorus, Potassium, Vitamins B2 and B12. These essential minerals help maintain our bone structure throughout our lives. Milk helps balance our diet.
After opening, how long do I have to consume my milk?
Before opening, our dairy products can be kept at ambient temperature for many months. The MDD (Minimum Durability Date) is indicated on the packaging. Once this date has passed, the product is safe to consume. After opening, milk should be kept in a cool place and consumed within 3 days.
Does milk contain preservatives?
Long-life milk (UHT sterilized) does not contain any preservatives, in compliance with regulations. The UHT sterilization system is a high-temperature process in which the milk is heated to over 140°C for a few seconds. This process kills all the bacteria present in the milk, giving it a long shelf-life without the addition of preservatives.
Are there other vitamins and minerals in milk?
Dairy products are naturally sources of vitamins and minerals essential to the proper functioning of the human body. Milk contains calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, protein, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, iron and carbohydrates.
Where can I find your products?
Our core business is processing UHT milk and butter for French retail brands.
If you’re close to our LACTINOV ABBEVILLE factory, you can buy our products via our Drive, which you can then pick up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm at 99 rue du Château d’Eau, 80100 ABBEVILLE. To order our products, please visit our dedicated website: https://lactuniondrive.com/fr_FR/
About our Promess brand ?
At our dairy cooperative Lact’Union, we’re passionate about our work, our farms, our cows and our milk. That’s why, in 1991, we decided to launch Promess as an inner brand, to offer delicious milk to our own employees and farmers. From an institutional brand to an international range, Promess is today available in over 50 destinations thanks to a network of trustful partners who distribute our long-life products made exclusively from 100% fresh French milk from the farms of our French cooperative.
Where can I find your Promess dairy products?
Launched in 1991, our Promess dairy products are now distributed via a network of over 50 trustful partners worldwide. Click here to find out where to find our partners.
Are Promess dairy products Halal certified?
All our Promess dairy products are Halal certified. To demonstrate this certification, all our packaging bears the Halal logo. Our factories are certified by a recognized certification authority in several countries.
Are Promess dairy products made in France?
All our Promess dairy products are made in France at our 3 production sites. Our milk bricks are made at our Lactinov Braine site (02, France), our milk bottles are made at our Lactinov Abbeville production site (80, France), and our Promess pouches (dairy snacks and creamy desserts) are made at the YABON site, also located in France (Normandy).
Are Promess dairy products suitable for all ages?
All our Promess dairy products can be consumed from the age of 3. Our dairy products are ideal for children and adults alike.
How can I consume Promess dairy products?
Our dairy products are ready-to-drink. Nomadic on-the-go formats in bricks with U-shaped straws or in pouches, for example, are practical and designed to be consumed anywhere. Combined with other ingredients, our dairy products can also be incorporated into recipes to make delicious dishes and drinks, all made with milk from Hauts-de-France! Visit this page to discover our recipe ideas using Promess milk.
