Rutters gives dairy, tea products health-minded makeover
Regional convenience store operator Rutter’s Farm Stores, York, Pa., said it made several health-minded changes to its own-brand chocolate milk, half and half creamer and tea products.
Announcing the move during National Dairy Month, Rutter’s replaced high-fructose corn syrup with natural sugar in its chocolate milk and several iced tea and lemonade products, including Rutter’s Green Tea, Rutter’s Orange Tea and Rutter’s Lemonade. In addition to the change, the retailer introduced Rutter’s Half & Half Tea, a half-lemonade, half-iced-tea blend sweetened with natural sugar.
As for Rutter’s Half & Half creamer, the product is now fresh-pasteurized, the retailer stated. The original product was ultra-pasteurized, which allowed the creamer to be sold for up to 65 days from the date of its production. The new version has a sell-by date 17 days from its production, the same as Rutter’s other milk products. Fresh pasteurization allows the product to be bottled in its purest form, without the use of stabilizers or preservatives.
To help consumers see the quality and freshness of the dairy products they’re purchasing, Rutter’s said it changed their packaging to clear containers.