New Morning Market has been Connecticut’s go-to for delicious special diet foods for over 50 years – and alternatives to products made from cow’s milk have been in high demand lately.

Many people seeking non-cow’s milk dairy products do so because they experience gastric discomfort after consuming cow’s milk but are able to eat yogurt, ice cream, and cheese made with goat, sheep, or buffalo milk with little to no discomfort.

A research story published by the National Library of Medicine attributes this to the beta-casein, or main protein found in milk. There are two types of beta-casein found in milk, A1 and A2.  Goat, sheep, and buffalo milk only have A2 protein. Most modern day dairy cows have a mix of A1 and A2 proteins. 

It is believed that historically, all cows used to produce only A2 beta-casein protein however, when dairy cows were bred to accommodate the demand of large-scale dairy manufacturing, the milk protein became a mix of A1 and A2 beta-casein. Which is why today, most cow’s milk available in grocery stores across the U.S. contain compounds of these two proteins.

There is only a small difference between A1 protein and A2, but it may make a difference in the way it affects your gut wellness, according to the National Library of Medicine research study. 

This is why dedicated dairy farmers are working to produce cow’s milk with only A2 protein more widely available. Companies like Alexandre Family Farm, Trimona, Bellwether Farms, and Origin use milk exclusively from cows who have been genetically tested and have only A2 beta-casein protein with no A1 beta-casein protein. 

Additionally, Canterbury Connecticut’s Baldwin Brook Farms Raw Milk is the product of cows who come from a herd bred to only have the A2 beta-casein protein.

These dedicated farms and companies allow New Morning Market to carry a wide variety of A2 milk and yogurts and care for our customers who depend on us for their special diet and wellness needs.