First North Holland ‘On the way to PlanetProof’ cheese in supermarket
The world-famous North Holland cheese from Lutjewinkel now also comes with the On the way to PlanetProof label. During the On the way to PlanetProof week, on Friday, September 16, the cheese was officially introduced at the opening of the Alkmaar cheese market. After ringing the bell, dairy farmer Joep Verbij handed the first North Holland On the way to PlanetProof cheese to Harm Fokker of purchasing organisation, Superunie.
"I am very proud to ring the bell and offer the first cheese on behalf of all On the way to PlanetProof dairy farmers in North Holland," said Joep, who recently started supplying On the way to PlanetProof milk to FrieslandCampina. His dairy farm is in Den Ilp, North Holland. "I really see the supplement that we as dairy farmers receive for this, as a reward for our extra sustainability efforts."
Joris Vogelpoel, Chief Commercial Officer at Dutch trading company Zijerveld: "The demand for dairy products that meet stringent animal, nature and climate requirements continues to increase. Therefore, we are responding to this demand with the introduction of North Holland cheese bearing this sustainability quality mark. It is encouraging to see that more and more customers value the On the way to PlanetProof label. Furthermore, we are glad that we can reward farmers who produce more sustainably with extra compensation, as part of this initiative."
Well-established regional product
North Holland cheese, also called "the golden pearl from Lutjewinkel", is famous for its full and creamy taste. Due to its specific origin and region-specific production, the cheese has been acknowledged by the EU as an authentic regional product. The cheese continues to do exceptionally well year after year in leading tests and is internationally regarded as a first-class cheese. Due to market demand for North Holland cheese with the On the way to PlanetProof label, FrieslandCampina recruited members in North Holland for the On the way to PlanetProof milk stream earlier this year. More than 40 member dairy farms in North Holland have since become On the way to PlanetProof-certified.
The North Holland On the way to PlanetProof cheese will be available from mid-October at the fresh food departments of PLUS, Sligro, Boon’s markt, COOP, Dirk, Boni and SPAR. This includes pieces and slices of North Holland Gouda 48+ young, young mature and mature.
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