FAQ Milk prodcuts

Most of our products are gluten-free. However, individual products in our range may contain gluten. You can see which ones at a glance: Ingredients containing gluten are highlighted in the list of ingredients on the packaging of these products and can therefore be clearly identified. You can also find an exact list of our gluten-free products here. Simply tick "gluten-free" in the "Nutrition" filter and all the corresponding farmer's yogurt products will be displayed. Incidentally, all our cheese products are gluten-free.

Yoghurt contains so-called dextrorotatory and levorotatory lactic acid. L(+) stands for dextrorotatory lactic acid. Left-turning is labeled D(-). "Left" and "right" denote a physical property. If the lactic acid is exposed to linearly polarized light (light whose waves only oscillate in a single plane) in the laboratory, the direction of rotation of the lactic acid can be determined.
Right-turning lactic acid also occurs in the human body and can therefore be quickly absorbed and utilized by the body. In contrast, our organism has to make a little more effort to break down levorotatory lactic acid and it takes much longer to do so. Today, scientists agree that left-turning lactic acid does not pose a health problem for healthy people.
Depending on the bacterial culture used, the proportion of dextrorotatory or levorotatory lactic acid predominates in yoghurt. Most of our yoghurt products are made with yoghurt cultures that naturally produce over 90 % dextrorotatory lactic acid L(+).
The culture used for products with levorotatory lactic acid D(-) is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus. It is used in the following products in our range:

Yoghurt Drink 3.5 % and 0.1 %

FruFru thermized fruit yoghurt

Thermized cream yoghurt

For the most part, Bauer products do not contain gelatine. Exceptions are our heat-treated products and dessert products, where it is necessary for technological reasons. If gelatine is used, this addition is always declared. This is also required by law according to food labeling regulations. For all other products, the addition of gelatine is unnecessary for technological reasons and we use our own milk protein products.

We cannot completely rule out alcoholic components, which are necessary as solvents for essential oils, as many flavorings are exclusively fat-soluble and can only be converted into a form that can be further processed with the help of alcohols.
However, as we only work with very small quantities of aromas in our products, the alcohol content is not measurable and therefore negligible.

We only use microbial rennet for cheese production at the Bauer private dairy. Vegetarians can therefore enjoy it without hesitation. To make cheese, the milk is coagulated with rennet. The rennet required for this is an enzyme that was originally extracted from calves' stomachs. Today, we only use microbial rennet that has been produced in the laboratory. You can find more information about cheese production here.

All of our products are made from pasteurized milk. Our milk is subjected to so-called flash pasteurization: approx. 40 seconds at approx. 74 °C. These temperature-time conditions are prescribed by law and ensure that any harmful germs in the raw milk are destroyed.

Licking the yogurt lid is harmless. In Germany, all packaging that comes into direct contact with food is subject to the Foodstuffs and Commodities Act. This law stipulates that no substances may transfer from the packaging to the food or its surface.
The widespread concern that yogurt lids are coated with an antibiotic is also completely unfounded. The use of antibiotics is ineffective with acidic dairy products, as the usual spoilage germs in dairy products tend to be yeasts and molds and antibiotics are not effective against these microorganisms. For health reasons, however, you should not chew on or even swallow parts of the lid.

We ask for your understanding that we are generally unable to offer factory tours. Extremely high hygiene and quality standards apply to the manufacture of our products. These standards guarantee food safety for our consumers. As we do not have a "visitors' gallery" separate from the production rooms, factory tours are not compatible with these quality standards.

The milk required for production comes exclusively from selected farmers in Upper and Lower Bavaria from the Alpine foothills. The nature and intact environment around our company location in Wasserburg am Inn ensure the best feed and the above-average quality of the raw material milk. A good and fair relationship with our farmers is of the utmost importance to us, because only together can we produce the best product from the best raw material.

The process for producing yogurt is called fermentation. First, the pasteurized milk is adjusted to the desired fat content (e.g. skimmed, low-fat, cream). Depending on the recipe, milk protein and sugar can be added as further ingredients. The milk is then homogenized and heated (in this order). This is followed by ripening. During this process, added lactic acid bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid at a temperature of 42 to 45 °C. The lactic acid coagulates the milk protein into a gel. This process, also known as coagulation, is monitored by regularly checking the pH value. Depending on the culture, the result is a sour or mild yoghurt. A specially developed combination of different lactic acid cultures is decisive for the special taste of our Bauer yoghurt. The resulting yoghurt is filled into the pot as creamy natural yoghurt or processed with a fruit preparation made from selected fruits to make popular products such as "Der Große Bauer". The be-all and end-all for us: we do not use any preservatives or gelatine in the production process.

We generally offer our yogurts to retailers in mixed crates - as do most other manufacturers. The assortment is put together as consumer-friendly as possible and is based on experience and the desire for the greatest possible variety of flavors. Of course, the sorting in the crates can only ever represent a middle ground and cannot always satisfy all tastes. If a particular product is not available in your store, simply ask there. They will certainly do their best to help you.

All our yogurts are absolutely safe to consume during pregnancy due to the production process and product characteristics. Our semi-hard and hard cheeses, all made from pasteurized milk and under strict hygienic conditions, are also safe. The following applies to soft cheeses and red smear cheeses: although these are also made from pasteurized milk, the special surface treatment and the resulting product properties mean that listeria can colonize the surface in rare cases. Caution should therefore be exercised during pregnancy and it is advisable to avoid these products.

A best-before date is stated on each package, which is our assurance that the product can be consumed until the stated date without any significant loss of quality or taste and without any health risk if stored properly. Even after the best-before date has expired, the product may still be of good quality. It is best to take a close look, smell it and taste it carefully - in this way, many foods can be saved from being thrown away.

100% recyclability is not just something we have made a commitment to. By 2025, this should be written on all Bauer packaging. Whether yoghurt cups or cheese wrap, we want all packaging to be completely recyclable from 2025. In addition to the recyclability of our packaging, we are also actively working on finding sustainable and plastic-free packaging alternatives. Until then, we will reduce the amount of plastic in our cups to a minimum. In doing so, we always keep an eye on finding the most sustainable solution of all. Enjoyment with a clear conscience.

With our standard yoghurt cups, the lid foil should be removed from the cup and both disposed of in the yellow bin/yellow bag.

Yes, the rind of all our cheese products can be eaten without hesitation. The rind of all our semi-hard cheeses can also be eaten.