DALE Farm has launched a new line of milk enriched with vitamin D.
It follows a study by the Public Health Agency which revealed blood levels of the vitamin drop significantly for both children and adults between the months of October and March.
Vitamin D is largely formed by exposure to sunlight and as a result, it is harder to generate during the winter months.
In addition to topping up vitamin D, Dale Farm the new milk product also provides 30 per cent of the recommended daily calcium intake in each glass.
Head of marketing at the dairy, Caroline Martin, said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to stay healthy and get their daily dose of vitamin D.
"There has been a surge of interest recently in vitamin D, and we would encourage people to increase their intake and realise the health benefits associated with this new product.
"Dairy is an important part of a balanced diet and Dale Farm Vitamin D Milk has been formulated to provide 100 per cent of the daily recommended in-take of vitamin D required for both adults and children in just one 200ml serving.
"The development of the latest addition to Dale Farm's milk range is in line with the company's strategy to support its 1,300 farmer owners by developing innovative products to add value to our milk."
Dr Mike Johnston, chief executive of the Dairy Council Northern Ireland added: "Low vitamin D can cause a number of problems for the population in Northern Ireland which is why a lot of attention is being placed on dietary intake as important contribution to levels within the body.
"The Dairy Council welcomes Dale Farm's commitment to developing dairy products with added health benefits, in particular its new vitamin D fortified milk.
"Our bodies struggle to make vitamin D in winter and with limited sunlight here, even during the summer, it's difficult to get our daily requirement though sunlight alone."
