FILIPINOS simply love cheese. We so love it with ham that we have made queso de bola and ham the stars of our Noche Buena table every Christmas. We like melted cheese on our nachos. We swear by pizza and pasta and Baked Mac that ooze with cheese. Our ensaymadas must be topped with a generous helping of grated cheese. Our simplest pleasure is to spread cheese on our bread. But must cheese always be yellow in color?
The answer is no. Cheese is made with milk as its main ingredient, and milk is not yellow but white, so why should cheese always be yellow? The natural color of each type of cheese is determined by many factors that go into the natural process of making it, so not all cheeses come out yellow. Others are white, such as Feta, kesong puti and cheese spread. Yes, cheese spread! For the longest time, we were led to believe that cheese spread should be yellow and thick, much like how melted Cheddar cheese looks. But looking much like the image of real cheese that was instilled in our minds since we were young doesn’t necessarily mean that a cheese spread is real cheese.
Unfortunately, despite the number of cheese spreads that crowd the supermarket shelves, it is still very difficult to find a really good cheese spread that tastes and looks as delicious and creamy as the milk it was made from and is naturally nutritious for our kids.
Introducing… Arla Cheesy Spread. From the dairy farmers of Arla Foods, who produce some of the world’s best milk, cheese slices and cream cheese spreads, comes the genuinely delicious real cheese spread that’s made from almost 90% fresh organic milk straight from Arla Foods’ dairy farms in Denmark. Because it contains a high concentration of milk, it is also high in calcium and Vitamin A. It offers food safety like no other it delivers full traceability, something no other cheese spread brand can claim.
Consumers will easily notice the big difference—it is naturally white, not yellow, as the result of the pure milk used in making the cheese. Boldly claiming to be the country’s first real cheese spread, Arla Cheesy Spread contains no preservatives or extenders. It is easy to spread on bread, and its flavor is a delicate marriage of mild salty and milky tastes. With these qualities, it goes easily with other ingredients, making it easy to use and delicious to prepare.
Now available in the Philippines, Arla Cheesy Spread was recently launched at the Blue Leaf Event Pavilion in Taguig City, in the presence of Jens Christian Krogh Nielsen, senior general manager of Arla Foods for the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Also in the house were celebrity moms Danica Sotto-Pingris, Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio and Chef China Cojuangco-Gonzalez, with Chef China’s husband, Chef Gino Gonzalez, conducting a cooking demonstration to show just how versatile Arla Cheesy Spread is.
Event host Amanda Griffin-Jacob first talked to the celebrities about why they like Arla Cheesy Spread and how it figures in their food preparations at home.
“It’s hard to make kids eat healthy, but since Arla Cheesy Spread has a delicate and milky taste, my kids like it and I don’t have to compromise taste with it. I can easily cook with it, or just spread it on pandesal, so I am able to teach my kids what healthy food is all about. Since it’s easy to prepare, I also now have more time to bond with my kids,” says Danica.
For her part, Rica says: “When I was younger, health had a lot to do with vanity. But when I had my first kid, things changed and my focus became finding stuff with nutritional value, something that would be good for my child and add to his growth. It’s nice to know that, with Arla Cheesy Spread, what I am giving my kid is something yummy and at the same time healthy, although I must admit that I finished the first bottle all by myself.”
“When you cook for the family, it’s good to stock your pantry with the best ingredients. Arla Cheesy Spread is a versatile ingredient. You can use it as stuffing for chicken, sauce for pasta, dip for chips. Gino and I were able to create a lot of recipes with it,” explains China.
“What I like about it is that it’s real cheese with no preservatives and extenders. The color is pristine and white because of the high milk content. I like knowing that ingredients like these are now available in the country,” adds Chef Gino.
Afterwards, Chef Gino headed for the cooking station. He was joined by Arla Foods’ Jens Christian Krogh Nielsen as he went about preparing a delicious Arla Cheesy Spread Pandenini.
WIN A TRIP TO DENMARK!
During the launch of Arla Cheesy Spread, officials of Arla Foods took advantage of the opportunity to announce the Fly to Denmark with Arla consumer promotion that is ongoing until June 30, 2016.
For every Php500 worth of Arla Food products (Milk Goodness, Cheese Slices, Cream Cheese and Cheesy Spread) purchased from supermarkets nationwide, consumers are entitled to one raffle entry.
To join, consumers must take a clear photo of the receipt containing the purchased Arla products in the list as proof of purchase and send the photo to the Arla Philippines’ Facebook page via private message. The photo must be accompanied by pertinent information, such as name, address, telephone/mobile phone number and email address. Aside from the digital photo of the receipt, however, participants must keep the physical copy of the receipt and photocopy it in case the receipt is printed on thermal paper. The physical copy of the receipt shall serve as proof of purchase when a participant wins.
To qualify, participants must first like the Arla Philippines Facebook page so that they can submit the required photo. Arla will then send a “receiving” email that includes a raffle code randomly generated using an online generator. Participants can send in as many entries as they want.
The grand draw is scheduled at Arla Foods Philippines’ office on July 15, 2016, and shall be announced on Arla’s social media accounts on July 22. The winner will also receive an email from Arla.
