Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited

Grass fed

In New Zealand, we farm the natural way. Our cows are free to roam and graze on lush, nutrient-rich pasture.

Grass is a cow’s natural food source. And this is one of the few places in the world where cows can graze on grass year-round.

On Fonterra farms, around 96% of their diet is grass, which is well above the 92% minimum set out in the Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard. Our farmer families know that lush grass is the natural way to produce dairy goodness.

Grass/pasture is classified as grass, grass silage,  hay and forage crops.

Our grass and pasture-fed standard mean our cows consume on average 96% of their diet as grass1

The Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard also have a minimum requirement for grazing time. Cows supplying the Fonterra milk pool spend at least 90% of their non-milking time outside on pasture. Our Fonterra New Zealand cows spend on average 97% of their non·milking time outside on pasture.

The Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard assess and verify the farming practices across Fonterra New Zealand farms. It focuses on the use of supplementary feed and on how much access cows have to pasture.

If a product carries the Certified Grass Fed claim, you can trust that it's been made with milk from New Zealand Grass-fed cows.

Certification of the milk is provided by AsureQuality, an independent Conformity Assessment Body accredited by JA S-ANZ, against the Fonterra Grass and Pasture Fed Standard.

1 Grass* comprises at least 80% of the diet calculated on a dry matter basis. Using current feed proportions, this is equivalent to 92% on an ‘as consumed’ basis.