Product Review - Moo Chew or Not to Chew?

November 9, 2020

Food nourishes our bodies and contributes to our overall health and wellbeing. Here at Healthy Snacks NZ, we value the importance of a balanced diet from an early age. Since becoming a mum I have realised that feeding kids is not as easy as I thought it would be before having my two sons. Feeding little humans can be a tricky task. Any food is better than no food. Luckily, these days the food industry understands consumers’ needs for healthier and functional products.

As a food technologist, I can easily decode the composition of the food product and the role of each ingredient on the nutrition panel. I am not saying I know everything or trying to convince you to purchase a particular product. With this post, I am opening a series of reviews of the products that we are stocking here at Healthy Snacks NZ by explaining why I believe they are a healthier choice for my kids.

New Zealand is an agricultural country. We are extremely lucky to have fresh seasonal produce, deliciously creamy local dairy, and quality meats all year round. New Zealand food manufactures are extremely innovative and there is an array of delicious foods for every age. Overseas “Made in New Zealand” is associated with outstanding quality and value-added due to our vigorous food safety measures and integrity as a country. New Zealand’s pasture-fed cows produce some of the best milk in the world. No wonder our dairy industry is well recognised and top-ranked worldwide.

Moo Chew™ dairy heritage began back in 1920 and became well established in the 1960s on the broad plains of Canterbury. This dairy farm flourished into what it is today, a herd of nearly 2,500 cows. In 2016 the creative team of Moo Chew’s HQ came up with the idea of developing a special chewable value-added, convenient milk product that would revolutionise this industry worldwide. This is when Moo Chews milk bites were born.

Moo Chew™ is made in New Zealand from top-quality local milk, cream, and natural fruit powders. Their special gluten-free formula is irresistibly yummy and provides 20% of the recommended daily amount of calcium per serving.

Now let us have a look at the ingredient list to understand what Moo Chews (vanilla flavour) are made from:

Milk powder blend (74%) with Soy Lecithin

This means that 74% of Moo Chew is New Zealand milk and cream. Soy lecithin is a good natural emulsifier. It is added to produce a nicer, more free-flowing and less clumping dry product.

Dextrose

A simple sugar (a monosaccharide) that is made from corn with an identical to the glucose (blood sugar) structure. It adds flavour and helps to extend shelf life. Dextrose is 20% less sweet tasting than the table sugar.

Regular table sugar (sucrose) is made from glucose + fructose. It must be broken down before your body can use it. The presence of glucose increases the amount of fructose that is absorbed and stimulates the release of insulin. This means that more fructose is used to create fat, compared to when glucose is eaten alone.

Xylitol*

A sugar-free sweetener that does not spike blood sugar and helps prevent tooth decay.

*Interesting Facts about Xylitol

One study in children with recurring ear infections observed that daily usage of xylitol-sweetened chewing gum reduced their infection rate by 40%.
Xylitol is generally well-tolerated, but in some rare cases might cause digestive side effects when consuming excessively.
Xylitol (like grapes, raisins, and chocolate) is toxic to dogs, and the devil is in a dose.

Product Review - Moo Chews - Healthy Snacks NZ

We contacted the manufacture to find out the amount of xylitol that goes into the packet of Moo Chews. It is just under 0.9g per 18g packet, and 0.06g per bite. A stick of chewing gum contains 1g of xylitol per piece. The toxic dose of xylitol for a dog is 0.5g per kg. To put it in perspective, a 30 kg golden retriever must ingest 15g of pure xylitol (or over 16 packets of Moo Chews) to suffer from liver failure.

Also note, that many brands of toothpaste contain xylitol. If you brush your dog’s teeth make sure to use pet-specific toothpaste.

Fortunately, the amount of xylitol that goes into Moo Chews is very little l and the risk that a dog will get sick from eating it is small. But better be safe than sorry, so please do not share Moo Chews with your fur babies and keep their paws away from it!

Calcium mineral blend
Calcium enriched for an extra nutrition boost.

Natural flavouring
Provides vanilla flavour.

Magnesium stearate

A “flow agent”. It prevents the individual ingredients of Moo Chews from sticking to the machinery when being made.

Keep in mind that Moo Chews are not dissolved easily so save it for the experienced eaters of age three and over. Remember to always keep an eye on your little one while eating to prevent choking.

The bottom line is, Moo Chews are an excellent source of calcium and a nutritious snack on-the-go or when travelling. I regularly add it to my kids ’lunchboxes as a healthy treat that won’t make my toddler bounce off the walls and cost me an arm and a leg on dentist bills in the future.