Galicia is the leader in milk production at state level, with 55% of farms working from our rural areas. The modernisation carried out by the sector in recent decades has made it a European benchmark in terms of quality, innovation, food safety guarantees and a vocation for continuity.

Dairy products are among the products and services certified with the Galicia Calidade seal, which guarantees users and consumers that they have passed the established quality controls and regulations, in addition to certifying their Galician origin. For a cheese to be awarded the Galicia Calidade distinction, it must be covered by one of the four Galician designations of origin: Queixo Arzúa-Ulloa, Queixo do Cebreiro, Queixo de Tetilla or Queixo de San Simón da Costa.

In the case of milk, in order to obtain the seal, they must be under the umbrella of the Galega 100% brand, a seal that brings together almost 7,000 families directly involved in livestock farming in Galicia. This seal guarantees the quality of the milk at origin and that its microbiological processing is of high quality.

Galicia Calidade explains that having this distinction "enhances the brand image of the products, especially outside Galicia", where many of them have been marketed for years. "The fact that Galician milk bears our seal means a final product with organoleptic characteristics superior to other milks," they add.

In the case of both cheese and dairy products, these are foods "with a very high degree of market awareness for which the Galicia Calidade seal is just another advertising medium impacting millions".

Milk

At present, around 30 milk products have the Galicia Calidade distinction, among which we can find lactose-free milk, whole milk, semi-skimmed milk and other varieties from leading companies in our Community, such as Feiraco Lácteos, Leche Río and Larsa.

Dairy products

In terms of dairy products, the list includes Feiraco's cream, ice cream marketed under the Bico de Xeado brand, and Quescrem's cream cheese, made with kefir yeast, which is a 100% natural product with no stabilisers or preservatives and has a high protein value.

Cheeses

Nearly 20 cheeses covered by the different designations of origin have the Galicia Calidade seal. One of them is 0% lactose mascarpone cheese, made by Quescrem with local raw materials that are responsible for its characteristic dairy flavour and aroma, its creamy and silky texture without the addition of stabilisers and whose quality was internationally recognised with the "Superior TasteAward".

Yogurts

In the yogurt section we find several references from Feiraco, Larsa and Quescrem, which obtained the Galicia Calidade seal for its Yogur Culinario, the first one specially designed for cooking with a shelf life of up to 6 months without the need for artificial additives. These characteristics were recognised with the 2018 SIAL Innovation seal.

Smoothies

Finally, in the milkshakes section, the chocolate milk from Feiraco Lácteos.

All of them are products that incorporate animal welfare, grazing and sustainability criteria and make the seal a visualising element of the quality associated with the territory. "They are proposals that consumers identify with hard work, dedication, affection and special care for nature, which makes them highly valued in the most demanding markets," a Galicia Calidade spokesperson explains.

It should also be noted that many of the companies that joined the seal, such as Feiraco Lácteos or Bico de Xeado, have an important social component as they have a cooperative base, which means that the wealth generated redounds to the territory in which they carry out their work.