1.

Vons Grocery Store (Huntington Beach) - Aly

Aly’s Summary:
I didn’t know what to expect by going to a Vons as I typically go to Trader Joe’s, Sprouts,
Whole Foods or farmers markets when possible. I was pleasantly surprised that there were
actually a wide range of lactose-free options between all the milk products. I expected it to be in
like a corner with only those options and it was nice that it was amongst the other choices.
I think it’s important for “specialty” items to be amongst the regular options so that it
doesn’t single people out who are shopping for those items, but also so that shoppers can
discover and (hopefully) read labels and learn the different components of the foods and the
differences in ingredients. What I learned is that there are more options that say “dairy free” as
opposed to just “lactose free.” Many people in my family, including myself, are lactose intolerant
so we know when we shop for our own items to look for either sign. For myself personally, I only
purchase dairy and soy free items so it was very new to me to find as many “lactose free”
options as I did. The one that surprised me the most was the butter! I had never seen or heard
of that before.
I would say that there was a wide array of choices, however, I did find a difference in
price between items that were only lactose free compared to those that were completely dairy
free. I decided to add a mix of both in the list below, including similar items such as coffee
creamer and ice cream. I know healthier options are typically more expensive, but I do wish
there wasn't such a huge price gap; not just for the differences in dairy items that are lactose
free compared to dairy free, but also for people who are trying to cut down on their cholesterol
don’t feel like they have to pay 2-5 dollars more for an item that would give them 0 cholesterol.
Of course, it goes without saying that items, such as milk, do face a difference with vitamins and
minerals; this is something I make myself very aware of since I do not consume dairy, and it is a
downfall between the lactose free and dairy free options.
As I mentioned, I do follow this specialty diet and it started mostly because I am lactose
intolerant and I will say that 5-10 years ago I do not remember as many options as there are
now! I liked that the items were easy to find and the price difference was not too expensive. The
two biggest gaps were with the yogurt and coffee creamer - “Regular” dairy yoplait was 0.60, the
lactose-free yoplait was 0.70 and the almond milk yogurt was 1.99; and also with the coffee
creamer - “Regular” dairy Coffee Mate was 2.99, lactose free was 2.99 and the almond milk was
6.39. All in all, this was a fun experiment and I enjoyed visiting a popular grocery store and
finding specialty food items. Food is such an important part of our everyday lives and it’s so
wonderful to have as many options and choices as we have.

Product Name Price $ Nutrient Content Descriptive Term

per serving
GO VEGGIE 4.29 40 calories “Lactose Free”
cheese alternative 25 total fat “25% more calcium”
0 cholesterol “30% less calories”
220 mg sodium “40% less fat”
0 fiber, 0 sugar “No cholesterol, no
3g protein lactose”
10% vit. A
25% vit. C
2% Iron

Daiya Dairy Free 11.29 390 calories “Dairy & Soy free”
Cheeze Lover’s 17g total fat “With gourmet
Pizza 0 cholesterol ingredients”
670 mg sodium “Gluten-Free”
5g Fiber
4g sugar
4g protein
8% vit. A
6% Calcium
6% Iron

Gardein Pizza 6.19 190 calories “Meatless pepperoni”

Pocket 6g total fat “With vegan mozz’rella”
0 cholesterol “Dairy free”
390 mg sodium “Kosher”
1g fiber “On-the-go goodness”
5g sugar
7g protein
10% calcium
4% potassium

Lactaid Peanut 5.19 270 calories “Real Ice Cream No

Butter Pie Ice 12g total fat discomfort”
Cream 35mg cholesterol “100% Lactose Free
170mg sodium Ice Cream”
1g fiber “Enjoy Ice Cream
18g sugar Again”
5g protein
6% calcium
6% iron
4% potassium

So Delicious Dairy- 5.99 210 calories “Taste You’ll Love”

Free Cookie Dough 12g total fat “Dairy Free”
0 cholesterol “Gluten Free”
50mg sodium “Coconut milk”
1g fiber
18g sugar
1g protein
 4% Iron

Challenge Butter 5.99 80 calories “Great Fresh Taste!”

Lactose Free 9g total far “Lactose Free”
10mg cholesterol “Clarified butter with
110mg sodium Canola Oil”

Yoplait Strawberry 0.70 150 calories “Lactose Free”

Lactose Free 2g total fat
10mg cholesterol
105mg sodium
19g sugar
6g protein
15% vit. A
20% Calcium
20% vit. D
15% Phosphorus

Silk Almond milk 1.99 200 calories “Yogurt Alternative”

Yogurt 11g total fat “Dairy-Free”
0mg cholesterol “Soy-Free”
90mg sodium
2g fiber
17g sugar
5g protein
10% calcium
4% iron
15% vit. D

Califia Probiotic 4.49 150 calories “Cultured Nut Milk

Yogurt 7g total fat Drink”
0mg cholesterol “Dairy Free”
190mg sodium “10 Billion Live
3g fiber Cultures”
16g sugar
3g protein
2% calcium
2% potassium

Horizon Organic 5.99 160 calories “Lactose Free”

Lactose- Free Milk 8g total fat “Excellent Source of
35mg cholesterol Calcium”
135mg sodium “Vitamin D”
0g fiber “Organic milk”
12g sugar “USDA Organic”
8g protein “Made with Non GMo
15% vit. D ingredients”
25% vit. C
10% vit. A
 50% vit. B12
25% Calcium
8% Potassium
30% Riboflavin
20% Phosphorus

Califia Almond Milk 4.59 60 calories “Creamy Original”

4g total fat “Soy Free”
0mg cholesterol “Dairy Free”
160mg sodium “Gluten Free”
1g fiber “Carrageenan Free”
5g sugar “50% more calcium
1g protein than milk”
45% calcium
4% iron

Non-Dairy Almond 4.49 10 calories “Non Dairy”

Milk Reddiwip 0.5g total fat “Almond Milk”
<1g total sugar

Lucerne Hazelnut 2.99 15 calories “Sugar Free”

Coffee Creamer 1g total fat “Artificially flavored”
“Lactose Free”
0 everything else “Ultra-pasteurized”

Califia Almond Milk 6.39 15 calories “Almond Milk Creamer”

Coffee Creamer 1g total fat “With coconut milk”
15mg sodium “Dairy-Free”
2g sugar “Made with Real
2% calcium ALmond Cream”

Starbucks Almond 4.99 90 calories “Starbucks” (logo)

Milk Caffe Latte 2.5g total fat “Chilled Espresso
150mg sodium Beverage”
13g sugars “Bold”
2g protein “Creamy”
2% calcium

Bailey’s Almonde 21.99 13& alcohol/volume “Almond milk Liqueur”

“Gluten free”
“Dairy Free”

Justin’s Chocolate 12.99 180 calories “Naturally delicious”

Hazelnut Butter 2.5mg sodium
0mg cholesterol
3g fiber
7g sugar
4g protein
4% calcium
6% iron