However, manufactured cheeses may be produced using processes that do not have the same lactose-reducing properties.There is no standardized method for measuring the lactose content of food. The stated dairy content of a product also varies according to manufacturing processes and labelling practices, and commercial terminology varies between languages and regions. As a result, absolute figures for the amount of lactose consumed (by weight) may not be very reliable. Kosher products labeled pareve or fleishig are free of milk. However, if a "D" (for "dairy") is present next to the circled "K", "U", or other hechsher, the food product likely contains milk solids, although it may also simply indicate the product was produced on equipment shared with other products containing milk derivatives. Lactose is also a commercial food additive used for its texture, flavor, and adhesive qualities. It is found in additives labelled as casein, caseinate, whey, lactoserum, milk solids, modified milk ingredients, etc. As such lactose is found in foods such as processed meats (sausages/hot dogs, sliced meats, pâtés), gravy stock powder, margarines, sliced breads, breakfast cereals, potato chips, processed foods, medications, prepared meals, meal replacements (powders and bars), protein supplements (powders and bars), and even beers in the milk stout style. Some barbecue sauces and liquid cheeses used in fast-food restaurants may also contain lactose.
Conversely, regions of the south, such as Africa, did not adopt dairy farming as early and tolerance from milk consumption did not develop the same way as in northern Europe. Lactose intolerance is common among people of Jewish descent, as well as from West Africa, the Arab countries, Greece, and Italy. Different populations will present certain gene constructs depending on the evolutionary and cultural pre-settings of the geographical region. History
Greater lactose tolerance has come about in two ways. Some populations have developed genetic changes to allow the digestion of lactose: lactase persistence. Other populations developed cooking methods like milk fermentation.Lactase persistence in humans evolved relatively recently (in the last 10,000 years) among some populations. Around 8,000 years ago in modern-day Turkey, humans became reliant on newly-domesticated animals that could be milked; such as cows, sheep, and goats. This resulted in higher frequency of lactase persistence. Lactase persistence became high in regions such as Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Northwestern India. However, most people worldwide remain lactase non-persistent. Populations that raised animals not used for milk tend to have 90–100 percent of a lactose intolerant rate. For this reason, lactase persistence is of some interest to the fields of anthropology, human genetics, and archaeology, which typically use the genetically derived persistence/non-persistence terminology.The rise of dairy and producing dairy related products from cow milk alone, varies across different regions of the world, aside from genetic predisposition.