European Dairy Tour - Stop 1: Munich 🇩🇪
Supermarket Mission: DM, Rewe, and Edeka
My goal at each stop is to find large stores accessible by foot or public transport to scan as many products as possible. In Munich, I visited three chains.
DM
Although DM is more of a drugstore than a grocery store, I found organic lactose-free milk there.
Rewe and Edeka
At Rewe, a medium-sized store, the dairy choice was limited but representative of common consumption. In a larger Edeka store, the selection was broader, notably with an impressive vegan section.
What to avoid (E High Risk, minimum 1.5 g / 100 g) : unsurprisingly, milk, creams (sour or not), ayran, buttermilk, kefir, yogurts, and classic quark remain too high in lactose.
The butters (C Caution, maximum 1 g / 100 g) : a nice selection of butters rated C allowing reasonable consumption.
PDO Cheeses: at Rewe, I found Manchego (D), Gruyère (A), Tête de Moine (A), Appenzeller (A), Cremoso di Bufala (B), and Bergkäse (A), the latter being the only German PDO cheese I spotted. At Edeka, I found no more German PDO cheeses beyond Bergkäse (A).
Other cheeses at Edeka: Schnittkäse (A), Butterkäse (A), Scheibenkäse (A), Bergbauernkäse (A), Schafskäse (C), Bavaria Blu (A), Maasdamer (A), Gouda (A), Emmentaler (A).
Lactose-free products (A): the MinusL brand offers milk, yogurts, butter, and cream. Rewe has its own lactose-free range with yogurts, fresh cheese, and mozzarella. At Edeka, I found lactose-free quark from the LAC brand, plus fresh cheese and mozzarella from Rewe.
Special mention: Magnum vegan ice cream for those who enjoy a lactose-free treat.
Dining Out
In the evening, I indulged in a Curry Wurst and fries. I’m not Belgian for nothing. These sausages are lactose-free, so no issues to report.
Conclusion
This German stop was easy. No hassles. Allergen lists were present in every outlet or, at worst, on their websites. Germany has many vegans, so if you seek substitutes, you'll be well served.
And most importantly, remember this: the vast majority of cheeses are rated A, at worst B. As someone with lactose intolerance, there’s no reason to deny yourself. Cheese remains your friend.
Join me tomorrow for the next stop on my European dairy tour: Prague!
Have you ever traveled in Germany with lactose intolerance? Share your experiences in the comments!
None of the brands or retailers mentioned are involved in any partnership. If they were, it would be clearly stated.
Further Reading
I wrote the practical guide Better Living with Lactose Intolerance: The Practical Guide to Understand, Reintroduce, and Enjoy Dairy Products, available at book.lactose.help. Currently, the book is only available in French, but you can vote for your language at lactose.help/book. We will translate the book based on votes received.